Weather woes

Since we seem to be on a weather theme, here is our latest weather blog.

Blast, blast, blast.

Today is Monday, December 20.  We should have been back in the US on Dec 17.  We arrived at the airport in good time only to discover that our United flight never left Chicago so therefore there was no plane for us.  Stephen is signed up for United bulletins and we should have received something to say that the flight was cancelled.  Not sure what happened there but it was the start of our travel woes.  We were subsequently rescheduled for a Saturday Continental flight heading to Newark.  No point crying over spilt milk so we spent the night at a nearby Holiday Inn.
While waiting at the gate, it started to snow at Heathrow.  But being hardy Canadian travelers, we thought: "just a little snow, what's the big deal".

We boarded our flight, buckled up, doors closed, flight attendants seated, and heaved a sigh of relief.  Yes, we're on our way.  Two and a half hours later, we were walking off the plane with all our belongings... supposedly just for 20 minutes to stretch our legs while waiting for clearance from the tower.  This was 1:30 pm.  Apparently, authorities had closed the airport until at leat 4 pm.  More information would be available then. 

At 7 pm, the cancellation notice for our flight was finally made.  We were given a sheet of paper with a phone number and told that we were responsible for making new arrangements. Eventually, the earliest flight we were able to get was for Dec 24.   In the meantime, we had to leave the gate area and follow the agent back through customs to reclaim our luggage.  By this time every other airline had already cancelled. 

All local hotels were booked solid.  We enlisted Mike and Suzie's help to give us the names of some hotels near Paddington station.  Road conditions were abyssmal so buses were not running.  We had already missed the last train to Cheltenham.  Stephen called for a driver and he made arrangements for us to be picked up at 10:30 am the following morning.

What to do now? Look for a comfortable spot in the airport. 

We weren't the only ones looking for a comfortable spot.

Eventually, we tried to sleep.  Stephen is in the picture below, to the left of the post.

You would think that they might have dimmed the lights a little.  This was 3 am.

It's strange to listen to the TV reports today and hear them saying that the airport is doing everything to make stranded travelers comfortable, including handing out blankets and food.  Until about 1 am, there were regular announcements saying that the airport was closed and we had to leave the terminal.  I think there would have been a riot if security tried to enforce that.  By the way, we did not get any blankets or food where we were.

Finally, around 4 am, I was just sitting and people watching while Stephen tried to rest and I noticed a man walking through the crowds with a sign.  I thought to myself - "wouldn't it be nice if he was our driver looking for us".  Imagine my surprise when I saw Stephen's name on his sign.

Anyway, we were back in Cheltenham around 6 am.  The driver had decided to come and rescue us and we were both very grateful.

On Sunday, we tried again to reschedule our flight and this time, we managed a flight through Newark on the 23rd.

Of course, this all depends on the weather and how Heathrow copes with it.

But hope springs eternal.  My neighbour is taking the turkey out of the freezer and our Christmas day plans have not changed.

Merry Christmas to all.

Weather lesson

Stephen started talking about weather in our last blog so it seems appropriate that I continue the theme.  I've been trying to post this ever since I arrived in the UK (Dec 8) but I've had difficulty with the computer. This may be a couple of weeks old, but I thought I would go ahead and publish it.

I was fortunate on my current trip to the UK to arrive on one of the coldest nights in Midland history.  Why do I say "fortunate"?  Because of the unique weather situation, I was able to witness an incredible winter wonderland as I took my bus trip from London to Cheltenham.

Here are some photos of the English countryside, most of which were taken through the bus window:

It looks as if there has been a snowfall, but in reality, it's a "hoar frost".  Here's where the weather lesson comes into play.  I referred to the internet for a proper definition of this phenomenon.

The definition from Cambridge advanced dictionary is as follows:

"a white layer of pieces of ice-like needles which forms on objects outside when it is very cold."

  

That definition seemed somewhat simple so I went to a more tecnical source (Arctic Climatology and Meterology)  and came up with this:

Hoar Frost: A deposit of interlocking ice chrystals (hoar chrystal) formed by direct sublimation on objects, usually  those of small diameter freely exposed to the air, such as tree branches, plant stems and leaf edges, wires, poles, etc., which surface is sufficiently cooled, mostly by nocturnal radiation, to cause the direct sumblimation of the water vapor contained in the ambient air.

Well, maybe that's a little too complex.  Bottom line: hoar frost = lots of kodak moments. (see web photos below)

None of my photos were as good as the ones above, but here's one more anyway.

 
 

Weather

Seems like at this time of year, weather is a popular topic for blogs...especially with the onset of winter in the northern Hemisphere. Diane and the team in Prince Edward Island won the "First Snowfall" award. Nicole of course gets to talk about Addy and snow...sort of her coming out winter, building the fond memories we all have of winter as children...before the realities of work, driving etc. took over. For most Canadian children winter means snow angels, snow men, Christmas coming soon, tobogganing, hockey and the possibility of snow days off school. Whats not to like?

Growing up in Ottawa we had lots of winter. Mom being Irish, did not ever really ever get to appreciate winter. For her it was cold weather, bad driving conditions, worry about everyone out in the storm. She was happiest when we were all inside and safe. Double happy if were all in our pyjamas, thereby removing the risk we were thinking of going out.  I think what bothered her the most was the closed windows. She hated seeing the storm windows going up in fall. Our house was always the first to take off the double windows and put up the screens. I can remember washing down the screens in early April, shivering to death as the water out of the hose was barely above freezing. While Mom did not like winter, she suffered mostly in silence. Daddy was different. There was little of anything he did in silence. On snowy evenings he had a habit of coming in the back door of the house, stamping the snow off his feet and bellowing out his favorite winter epitaph "BLAST, BLAST, BLAST".  While we were used to it, if we had friends or visitors in the house, it could be a bit shocking. I can recall on a few occasions getting a look from Mom as she saw Dad's car drive up that told me to get to the back door and don't let him give out his usual snowstorm greeting.

To this day, Diane and I still use "Blast Blast Blast" as an euphemism for winter storms.

After returning from the US after American Thanksgiving, I arrived home to my apartment in Cheltenham to snow. If you are following any newscasts from Europe or Great Britain these days you have read headlines such  as "BRITS STRUGGLE WITH DEVASTATING STORMS"  or "Snow causes transport disruption across England". 

Here is a link if you are interested : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-11895468

This weekend I was scheduled to go to Susie's. However the forecast is for snow tonight, freezing temperatures overnight and tomorrow, and then fog tomorrow. We spoke last night, and based on the forecast, and Mike struggling with a cold, we decided to cancel.

Here is my apartment parking lot "covered in snow".

Snow at 6 Chester Court

 I had a visitor last week, a colleague and friend  from Kohler who was coming to the UK to look at some of the processes we use here. We worked together in Asia.  He is an engineer, on his way to India and Thailand. I invited him to stay with me, and, as he had not visited the UK before, I got a car and did a bit of sightseeing. My favorite place to take newcomers is Bourton on the Water, about 20 minutes away, and very pretty.



Bourton on the Water in Winter



As usual, I thought I could capture a more artistic shot, the mill, the water, the snow, the red berries.

My artistic photo

I actually do not mind winter. Genya will say that is because  for the last five years I have not really had to deal with winter. I would  always be home for Christmas, but then we would go to South Carolina after Christmas day, and then in early January I would head back to Asia. I normally do not return until April .  Perhaps, memories of winter may be more endearing that real winter..  .  But when we were in Hilton Head last month, we were on the beach, and Genya reminded me that winter was coming. So, what was my reaction?  See below.

Stephen jumping for joy at the thought of winter...

Peter in South Carolina

Peter finally came to visit us in South Carolina. While Minneapolis was getting the worst November snowstorm in nearly two decades, he was enjoying the warm (72F) and sunny weather in Hilton Head. He arrived late on Thursday night and left Sunday evening...we had a busy weekend..

Playing golf on Hampton Hall golf course..(Peter won )

Peter and a deer on the golf course

On Saturday morning, Peter went for a jog around our community here in Sun City. He plotted out a 5.5 mile run and set out . Some scenic views of his run...

Saw an alligator ( ..OK..a baby alligator...)

Bob and Margaret from Tobermory arrived on Saturday, so on Sunday, Bob and Peter and I all went golfing. Here is a picture of Bob and Peter. (Peter won)

Sunday night, getting ready to go to the airport.

Trains

November 6, 2010

First, Happy Anniversary... Genya and I celebrate 39 years. On the Internet I looked up 39, and there is no flower, no gem....but there is a gift...Lace.  Not sure what I would pick from that category.

This week I went to Paris for a few meetings. I have alternated flying and train, usually switching after having a bad experience with the previous method. Flying is a bit faster, but usually more expensive.

Here are the choices:

Flying - Car and driver(or train) to Birmingham
             Air France to Paris
             RER to office
             Reverse to go back home

Train     Taxi to train station
             Train to London
             Metro between stations (Paddington to St. Pancras)
             Eurostar to Paris
             RER to office
             Reverse to go back home

As you can imagine in today's travel market, prices can vary depending on time, date, sales etc. Preference is also occasionally determined by external factors  We have had, ash clouds, traffic control strikes, Paris metro strikes and London tube strikes. In Paris they tend to be considerate and give a few weeks notice of a strike, (no doubt so the strikers can plan other activities for the day). In the UK they normally give less than 48 hours notice.

This week I took the train. As luck would have it , the day before I left, the London tube drivers announced a tube strike for the next day, the day of my outbound journey. So, instead of the tube, I took a taxi between stations. Aside from that, it was pretty routine.

If you read this blog frequently, you do recall I have blogged before about trains. (March 14).  I do have a great admiration for the Europe rail systems. They are expensive. They may seem to come as frequently as subways, but unless you book in advance, trains are not cheap. (despite the fact both France and England still provide subsidies)  The first picture below (taken with my blackberry, so not of the normal quality) is the departure board for a period of 25 minutes last Thursday evening. There are 8 trains listed. I could have gone to Penzance, Plymouth, Exeter, Cheltenham, Birmingham, Heathrow.... Paddington tends to have trains to the South West. Remember there are lots of other train stations in London. Like Paris they tend to be regional in nature. Not sure why they do this, but if you are in transit it usually means you have to change stations to change trains.

The picture below  is one of the carriages. In fairness, it was taken on the section of the trip between Gloucester and Cheltenham Spa, the last 8 minutes of a 2 hour train ride. But, the train was not full even in the first leg. It was actually a little eerie feeling being on a train and feeling you are by yourself. Like a Rod Sterling TV show. ("Tonight we tell the story of a man taking a busy train home from work only to wake up and find  all the other passengers have disappeared he is all alone on the train.... and it never stops travelling thru the dark night to the TWILIGHT ZONE")

On the platform between the carriages you can open the window. So, despite the large warning sticker

 "DANGER, PUTTING ANY PART OF  YOUR BODY OUTSIDE THE CARRIAGE WHILE THE TRAIN IS MOVING MAY RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH" , I figured it might be a cool picture. So, carefully putting part of my body outside the carriage while the train was moving I stuck out my arm and took this picture. What is shows is a light standard rapidly approaching the section of the train I am in. This may be one of the ways a moving train can cause serious injury or death. 

So, after a few more attempts to look out the window, which resulted in almost losing my glasses, so I took of my glasses and then I could not really see, I gave up on this death defying activity...also we were approaching the station.

Of course the train did stop, my Rod Sterling vision notwithstanding, but the train station was also a little empty ...

This is what the station looks like on a busier day...

 Happy Anniversary Genya ...see you Wednesday - Road Trip. ...Yeah

 

Addy and the Scarecrow

As I was in the US this week, and had a few days holiday, I decided to spend a day in Greenville with Addy, Brendan and Nicole.  (Geoff and Genya had to work)

Brendan is still pretty small, and most of his activity centers around activities that either I cannot really do, or I have lost practice.  Nicole was basically his focus all day. (and from the looks of it...every day)

Addy is growing in independence, and as long as Mom is in the background, seems comfortable with her Grampa. So, until Geoff came home after work, I was pretty much her friend for the day.

We coloured, played with blocks, read stories, went for a walk, played on the swings and the slide, ate lunch....you know, just normal stuff.

I had brought with me a scarecrow, a gift from Gi Gi to the house for Halloween. I took it out of the car when I arrived and stuck in in the ground next to the front door.... While Addy was apparently happy looking at it thru the window, when we went outside, she was not to sure what to make of it at first.

This is the first pose with Addy and the scarecrow. We sat her down next to it and then tried to take a few pictures to show Gi Gi. In this shot she really does not want to get too close.

 

In this shot she takes the attitude "if I can't see it , it doesn't exist"

Getting a little more comfortable, and curious...

And finally..."hey, this is pretty cool"

I felt that the word scarecrow was perhaps a bit challenging for Addy, also the word SCARE is not really good for an almost 2 year old. So, I called it Gi Gi man.  Nicole told me that the next morning as Addy was coming down the stairs, the first words out of her mouth were "Gi Gi man"



Weekend at Susies

As this is my last weekend in the UK for awhile, I headed up to Bloxam  to see Susie and Mike.  As it was a fore casted to be sunny, and low 60's, I decided to try my favourite golf course, Rye Hill, to see if they could give me a tee off time. I was given a slot immediately upon arrival. Amazing as it sounds, I have never been turned away, no matter when I show-up. I was quite fortunate this weekend and no one had teed off for the last half hour, so there was a big gap ahead of me. If I end up a single, I have to wait a lot. For the most part I get joined up with another group, of if I go alone and it is slow, I catch up to a twosome or threesome and join them.

This week I  decided I was probably not going to catch up unless I played fast. So, before I started, in honour of the Ryder Cup, I decided to play a two ball, use the best score. As a result, it took me a bit longer and I did not catch anyone until about the 16th hole. Also, to fully get the Ryder Cup experience, I played lift, clean and place and allowed gimmes. (as a result of this I had a pretty good score..my best so far)

It was cool, a bit windy, and some signs of fall color ... a very pleasant day.

I could not resist taking another try at creative photography using the close up feature on my camera.  I do not know what these are called, but they are beautiful.

On this hole you can see I had both balls in contention...for a birdie . Alas, we missed both, took a par.

I am not sure what this means.  There is no place to put any money.

Even though I was playing two balls, I played fairly quickly, finishing in about 3 1/2 hours. On a few holes near the end I took a chance to sit and enjoy the view. This is the par 3 12th hole.

After golf I went to Susie's.  This summer, Mike and Susie had their driveway redone. Most homes in their area had driveways resurfaced, and enlarged years ago, mostly to accommodate the growing trend of more than one car in the family. As Mike and Susie only had one car, this was not necessary. Anyway, Mike finally admitted that one or two cars, he needed to resurface. I am not the only visitor that comes to their house.  Rowena visits at Christmas, Mikes mother occasionally drives over. So they had the driveway widened at the same time they resurfaced. I think it looks pretty good.

On Saturday night we had a lovely steak dinner and watched the Ryder Cup. Then...on Sunday morning, this was the view from my bedroom window....  After looking at this I quickly decided this was a good day to go back to bed and sleep some more....

About 9:30 I went downstairs....This  was the view from the living room... the Coi pool is almost overflowing... Ryder Cup is not the only place it is raining.

Jessie has the right idea how to spend a rainy Sunday.

Fry Up.

This is a Sunday tradition here in Bloxam.  

First, the ingredients, eggs, sausage, bacon, baked beans, blood pudding, cold potatoes..

Cooking to make sure everything is ready at the same time takes military like

planning and coordination. Susie and I are getting pretty good at this...

Hmmm ..ready to eat...

It was delicious..

Heading home it reminded me of a winter sky.

Final shot heading home from a great weekend....

Next weekend, in Kohler.

The Letter "S"

This week I went to Scotland, Stonehenge and Salisbury...  of course, it is September

Scotland

First, I was in St. Andrews on business. It was what I perceive to be typical Scottish weather, cool, a "wee bit of a wind" and some rain...but also some sun so on a few occasions we were treated to rainbows. Of course I had a chance to experience all the delights (for one day) of The Old Course Hotel. It is a spectacular location and my room overlooked the 17th fairway. While it is late September, there were still golfers playing, on both days.

My room view

This shot was taken the day I arrived. The next day it was a very different weather, and yet there were still golfers playing. We had a meeting most of the day in a room on the ground floor, and all day, despite the rain and high winds, we could see foursome after foursome, heads down into the wind, umbrellas pushing forward fighting the rain.  I know now why the golf stores here sell so much rain gear!

On the day I arrived, we went for a walk about the town, and on the way back, about 7:30 it was getting quite dark. We were surprised to see golfers teeing off the 18th, in what was not the most optimal light. We thought that was extreme until we ran into two more foursomes coming behind them!

The beach in St. Andrews

 
On Sunday I went to Stonehenge and Salisbury with a couple of people from the finance department in Kohler. It was nice to have company, and navigators.
 

I was expecting Stonehenge to be bigger. The setting is spectacular, set on a rise in a large plain (the Salisbury Plain). They have understated all the necessary trappings for such a significant tourist site, and when you are actually at the site, you cannot see the car-park, the entrance buildings nor the ubiquitous gift shop. It is a great view in all directions.  They provide (free !) an audio player that explains what you are looking at, but they do admit that even to this day they really do not know why it was built. Of course we know that it can act as a calender, the sun plays in the stones differently in every month, the first rays of sun coming exactly on the center stone on the solstice and all that.... but why ?
 

Salisbury Cathedral

When I told Susie I was going to Stonehenge, she insisted we go to Salisbury. It was a good suggestion. Besides being a very pretty town where we had a nice pub lunch, the Cathedral is very impressive. In addition to being a significant building, having the tallest spire in Britain (404 feet), they have one of only 4 known copies of the Magna Carta, dating back to 1215.  Edward Heath, former PM is buried there.

One of the interesting things about this church was it continues to update its artwork and fixtures. Genya and I have toured a number of churches in Italy, France and England, and normally they are museums of the past, full of old paintings and memorial plaques of dead soldiers from ancient battles. Salisbury seems intent on allowing new ideas and new artists to contribute.  They continue to put up memorials of recent war dead. It feels like a living active church. One of the features that fascinated me was a new font installed in 2008. It is build in such a way that it acts as a reflecting pool. Of course this required me to try my hand a creative photography...

I call the one below "reflections of windows"

View from the nave up to the alter. Notice the newer hanging art, on the right side.

Cloisters


I hope you enjoyed the letter S.