Lately I’ve been wondering where that famous British grit has got to. There certainly isn’t any on my hilly road which is now an ice slide. This picaresque weather has brought Britain to its knees. In the words of my friend Steve, if the Nazi’s would have sent snow we’d all be speaking German now.
Growing up outside of Chicago, this all feels like MiniWinter, except no one is prepared for what, by American Midwestern standards, is postively mild.
After spying this tidbit in the Metro (OK, I read it for the animal pictures…) I will forever hold my tongue:
When There’s Beer to Save…
Scotland faces running out of beer after breweries struggled to get supplies to pubs, shops and supermarkets. But villagers in Moniaive, Dumfriesshire, were determined to help the cause by forming a human chain in sub-zero temperatures to rescue 150 barrels (13,000 pints) of Belhaven Beer from a lorry after it slid off a road in blizzard conditions.
Blitz spirit, innit?
Impy Malting 
There’s been quite a few good beer and snow stories, I think I’d have liked to have been one of the students stuck at Tan Hill Inn.
Our local Freecycle has had a 3 day long debate on the legalities of helping shovel and salt the paths outside your house – blitz spirit in the modern connected world!
Schneehund! 😀
Before I moved to Muenster I was told it rarely snows here, but this is two years in a row. They’re talking about running out of salt and grit already, even down south. Weird, as my experiences of snowy winters down there is usually one of the few examples of actual German efficiency.
Here, you must clear the snow on the footpath outside your property (or rented property) before 9am.
I have this paranoid theory that everyone has taken global warming to heart an are convinced these winters are a fluke so they need not prepare. Last year there was a big snow in London, too but it didn’t last as long.
I wish the news here would have helpful suggestions like clearing the snow on the pavement, etc. rather than just telling people not to leave their homes!
“150 barrels (13,000 pints) of Belhaven Beer” It’d be smooth for the most (if not all) part. I wouldn’t form a human chain for that! (-;
It hasn’t stopped me taking my guitar to the pub & folk club three times in the last week (real ale venues all). If you really want to do something, you do it. Besides, winters were always like this upto the early 1980s.
“If you really want to do something, you do it”– Exactly! Part of me feels like in London, where no one is snowed in or really inconvenienced, to use the snow as an excuse is just sad. I think the people who are absurdly car-dependent in this city are most affected by this.
Gesundheit!
I also agree with you. Having just gotten back from the UK, the weather is nice but nothing compared to here in Switzerland. Having said that, I guess this sort of snow is a rare thing for our English buddies 🙂
Haha! I imagine it’s nothing like Switzerland! (What’s the beer like there?)
Schneechaos in Grossbritannien! to paraphrase the Austrian news headline we saw last winter.
Schneechaos! Fantastic. Kind of makes you wish English could readily make such compound words.
[…] …from the Metro via Impy Maltings […]
Having just arrived in London from the Chicago ‘burbs, I was surprised to find the sidewalks in Brixton covered in ice, but I see that, as in Chicago last year, you can never predict how much salt you’ll need.
Had my first Landlord last night at Blackfriar. Thanks for the recommendation.
Hi Mike! Welcome to London. I’m sure compared to the Chicago winter this is going to seem quite tame and the crippled infrastructure a bit inexcusable! Last night I had some lovely Harvey’s mild at the Royal Oak, as well as some of their old ale and IPA. If you are in Borough, definitely stop in there– it’s a “true” English pub!
Alas, we ran out of time (with the side trip to Oxford) to see Borough. It was on the list, honest, but a week’s just not enough. Top of the list for the next visit for sure.