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FastFreddy2

"Last minute" meeting around the UK?

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3 hours ago, FastFreddy2 said:

After a couple of very mild days, zero temperatures and falling snow have returned. I was up at 7.15am this morning, and it's been snowing all day. (12 hours so far.) Nothing has come of it, but it's bitterly cold outside with a harsh wind together with the visual effect of watching falling snow, is creating the effect of an Alpine climate.

Twice in past weeks I've had to cancel prospective 'ventures out, and it's becoming more than a bit frustrating. This has been the longest drawn out winter in memory, mine at least. Seems to have been going on for 3 months or more. I begin to understand why people would move abroad.... :rolleyes: 

 

Yes, it has been cold today but the snow here (such as it was) did not really linger, although some pavements have an icy frosting.

Those of us with vivid memories of the 1962-63 'big freeze' (and indeed other winters since) would not put this winter far up the league table, either for severity or persistence.   I agree that the two or three bouts have been unpleasant and disruptive (particularly a fortnight ago) but the country recovered within a few days.   In 1963, whole areas were more or less paralysed for two or three months continuously.   I think 1947 was even worse - but I missed that ...!

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4 hours ago, Puffer said:

 In 1963, whole areas were more or less paralysed for two or three months continuously. 

I did say 'my memory' .....

I remember (as a very young child) watching film on TV of helicopters, dropping bales of hay into snow covered fields, to feed starving and isolated sheep during that winter. I also remember walking on top of deep snow that had a crust of ice, where sunshine had produced a partial thaw only for liquid to refreeze.. I don't remember it being persistent, though I doubt I had any real understanding of time at that stage of my life.

We have had for many years now, milder winters and milder summers, so the persistence of this one stands out. It would also be true I'm more adverse to inclement weather than ever before. I know two people who have suffered with broken bones in their wrists due to falls during the last two months. Makes me very wary. 

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5 hours ago, FastFreddy2 said:

I did say 'my memory' .....

I remember (as a very young child) watching film on TV of helicopters, dropping bales of hay into snow covered fields, to feed starving and isolated sheep during that winter. I also remember walking on top of deep snow that had a crust of ice, where sunshine had produced a partial thaw only for liquid to refreeze.. I don't remember it being persistent, though I doubt I had any real understanding of time at that stage of my life.

We have had for many years now, milder winters and milder summers, so the persistence of this one stands out. It would also be true I'm more adverse to inclement weather than ever before. I know two people who have suffered with broken bones in their wrists due to falls during the last two months. Makes me very wary. 

I'm surprised, Freddy, that you don't have a greater memory of 1962-63, despite your claimed youth!   I'm sure you were old enough to go outside (or not) during that prolonged freeze-up and struggled to get to school etc.   Alternatively, being confined indoors surely gave you many opportunities to try on mum's shoes whilst she was outside, digging her way to the Co-op? <_<   

My main memory was of being cut-off for several days in an Army camp on Salisbury Plain (pre nerve-agent days), having gone there with the school CCF on 27 December only to find the snow piling up behind us.   I fiddled the rosters to obtain more-or-less permanent 'cookhouse duties' for the week - I stayed warm and dry and was popular because I kept the boilers going (without any re-plumbing!).   Eventually, the Army bulldozed a way into the camp (and nearby village) and we regained civilisation, and home.    Happy days!

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7 hours ago, Puffer said:

I'm surprised, Freddy, that you don't have a greater memory of 1962-63, despite your claimed youth!   I'm sure you were old enough to go outside (or not) during that prolonged freeze-up and struggled to get to school etc.   Alternatively, being confined indoors surely gave you many opportunities to try on mum's shoes whilst she was outside, digging her way to the Co-op<_<   

The nearest Co-Op was was over two miles away. A Fine Fare was much closer. 

The sum total of my memory of that period was it snowed, melted a bit then got cold enough for me to walk on top of the ice crust that formed if I was careful. If not, my leg sank into 8-10 inches of snow - high enough to swallow my wellies. I also remember seeing a lot of virgin snow, so I must of been fairly adventurous. I also remember watching B+W footage on TV of foodstuffs being dropped to sheep in places a long way from where I lived. That is it. I've lots of memories from that period, but snow wasn't of interest to me. It's still an irritant, though I do fancy a go at skiing.... :wacko:

Edited by FastFreddy2

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Some high heel wearers enthusiastic for an evening out (possibly celebrating St Patrick's Day) in poor weather....

 

 4A4D19DD00000578-5514833-image-m-6_15213

Girls in minidresses and lace tops queue to go into Players nightclub late last night as winds low as -10C battered the country

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Three-scantly dressed women march across a road blanketed in snow as Siberian gusts whipped up a snowstorm 

4A4D1AD900000578-5514833-image-m-16_1521

One woman paid no mind to the weather warnings as she wore a pair of summery short shorts and bared lots of flesh on her night out

 

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4 hours ago, FastFreddy2 said:

Some high heel wearers enthusiastic for an evening out (possibly celebrating St Patrick's Day) in poor weather....

 

 4A4D19DD00000578-5514833-image-m-6_15213

Girls in minidresses and lace tops queue to go into Players nightclub late last night as winds low as -10C battered the country

4A4D196400000578-5514833-image-a-20_1521

Three-scantly dressed women march across a road blanketed in snow as Siberian gusts whipped up a snowstorm 

4A4D1AD900000578-5514833-image-m-16_1521

One woman paid no mind to the weather warnings as she wore a pair of summery short shorts and bared lots of flesh on her night out

 

The word 'bimbo' seems to have gone out of use.  A shame, as it perfectly sums up those dopey girls.

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1 hour ago, euchrid said:

The word 'bimbo' seems to have gone out of use.  A shame, as it perfectly sums up those dopey girls.

Quite - and anyone would think this was Newcastle, or similar, where it seems that wearing a coat is illegal.  :o

I'm off to (much) warmer climes tomorrow; back Good Friday.  Enjoy the snow whilst it remains!   B)

Edited by Puffer
Addendum

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11 minutes ago, Puffer said:

I'm off to (much) warmer climes tomorrow; back Good Friday.  Enjoy the snow whilst it remains!   B)

Good luck, and safe journeyB)

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I had a very interesting time on Saturday, out for the day at a business meeting with three ladies. One of them took her car so we converged on her house to get a lift. When I arrived, they said, You're the odd one out - we're all wearing skirts! I said it's a real shame I didn't know the dress code before I arrived! I was wearing my usual 4.5 inch block heels, but no comment was made, although I'm sure they know I wear them. I've known two of them for over three years. Even then, could you really sit next to someone in the back seat of the car for over an hour without that other person seeing what you're wearing? Anyway, the four of us are going to another business training on 14 April and we've decided our clothes will match for colour (blue) and our tops will have pictures of birds on. I'm now just waiting for a few prompts, as we're on a separate FB chat group. I would absolutely love the opportunity to wear something more daring in the way of shoes - some blue stilettos, perhaps? It will be a 'safe' environment - the company's head office - with moral support from three others. However, I don't want to force the issue, obviously. Perhaps I should get my blue heels in anticipation... One of them might even provide a skirt! I shouldn't get my hopes up too far, but it certainly made for a very interesting conversation.

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It's been some time since I've been out in heels.... Tomorrow night might see me at one of Europe's largest malls  if I can stay awake.... I've been getting up at 6.15am quite a lot recently, and early starts are not my thing. :wacko:

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On 18/03/2018 at 10:54 PM, FastFreddy2 said:

Good luck, and safe journeyB)

Well, I'm back in Blighty - after enduring 10 days of 28-30 C sunshine, with just a little breeze and the odd shower to improve the comfort level!   Shorts and sandals all day, every day - but glad I had something more suitable for the 2 C and rain on arriving at Gatwick early this morning.   Still, I was half-expecting snow ...

An almost totally heel-free holiday in that 99% of women (tourists and locals) were in flat sandals everywhere; the exception being a couple of pairs of wedges.   And very few heels seen in shop windows.  I imagine that a few younger women wore heels whilst enjoying the nightlife (such as it was) but as I didn't venture out at night - a combination of tiredness (couldn't shake-off UK time!) and convivial self-catered dinner in the villa precluded that - I can only speculate.   

Not much been happening here during my absence, it seems. 

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3 hours ago, Puffer said:

Not much been happening here during my absence, it seems. 

This is a place where folk watch - if they do anything.....

Welcome back. Disappointing you didn't see any/many in heels. :(

 

In Newcastle, where coats are banned ..... (Single figure temperatures with snow probable...)

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Westfield White City, with new John Lewis was disappointing. Closed at 9pm (as does M+S) while the centre and most other shops stay open until 10pm. Primarni not even open yet (at all). 

Was good to get out in a heel, but a long way to go for a JL with less visible stock than the one at Brent Cross. :rolleyes: Young/new employee who offered to help me find some dining chairs, said he had been apologising all day to prospective buyers because the products  they had gone to the store to see, just weren't there. Grandiose store, with little substance. 

 

Edited by FastFreddy2

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At last ..... Some warm weather has arrived.

Driving through a populated area early this evening, had many out enjoying the warmth. Is Winter finally over? :huh: 

 

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Apparently yesterday was the hottest April day for over 70 years. March was one of the coldest on record - is the weather playing catch-up now? I was out in my wedge sandals at Brighton Marina yesterday. We had a visitor with us - no comments on my footwear although I know the heels were plainly visible at times. 

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London's West End, Thursday evening .... Traffic getting into London, worse than usual, and significantly worse than most evenings - for some time. Felt like a dam had burst!

T-shirt weather though. Shopping areas as busy then as most daytime shopping periods.

Not so startlingly warm when back in the suburbs, hours later. :huh:

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Working outside on Thursday, had me chilled to the bone.

No work outside today though, rain on and off all day .... And pretty much rain every day for the next week. :rolleyes:

Walking between puddles today, I thought back 7 days and the air so warm while I was out, I got a bit fried. :blink: No chance of that problem again any time soon. Winter just won't go away. :(

 

Saturday addendum ....

Only a couple of days away from May, and I've had to put the heating on .... :rolleyes:

Edited by FastFreddy2

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Sunday is usually my 'adventure' day, but not today ....

Cold and windy, water (damp) in the air, looking like it might rain any moment ..... The weather today felt more like early December than one of the last days in April. While nearly all of us will doubtless be looking forward to warmer times, when they do arrive I suspect we will go from one extreme to the other. In the recent past we have had a 10'C swing in temperature during a single 24 hour period. I'm expecting at least that should the trans-Atlantic jet-stream allow warmer air to push up from Spain and North Africa. In the space of a couple of days, it's theoretically possible for us to go from single figures (4'C promised for tomorrow with gale force winds) up to mid/high 20's. That's going to come as something of a shock as we will have missed the slow rise in temperatures we usually get through March and April.

It won't be long before I'm writing here, that it's too hot to venture out unless wearing wellies filled with ice ... :rolleyes:   

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Looks like we are going to have a warm bank holiday weekend. B)

I am baby-sitting all Sunday. A nice job, but no heels. :huh: Maybe Monday ...

 

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Warm yesterday (Saturday), with clear skies all day. Same today with 25'C predicted for my area. That's a 20'C shift in the space of 7 days ..... Monday is predicted to be 27'C and the hottest May Bank holiday on record. :o

And some wonder why Brits spend so much time talking about the weather. :huh:

Will be walking along the banks of the Great Ouse today. Hopefully, something a bit more heel related tomorrow, though I won't be at all surprised if I have another day/weekend without. :( 'The world' is conspiring against it. :rolleyes:

 

Edited by FastFreddy2

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We Brits are currently in (I think) the second 'heatwave' of 2018. It is very warm (for us) with temperatures in the mid to high 20's (Centigrade). Was out last Sunday in heels, walking around an area just South of the river Thames, by HMS Belfast and Tower Bridge. Tried to eat at a restaurant called ASK ITALIAN,  but the service was so poor, we used the toilets and left without ordering. Further along the river, we visited a Strada restaurant, and had a completely different experience. Highly recommended. The views of the river, and people walking along it, quite outstanding. 

Walking in heels wasn't hard, and some of the pavement along this area is really smooth. While eating, we saw a youngish couple, at least one of whom were into heels. 'She' was wearing them, but he was taking lots of pictures of her in them. Rather wisely, taking pictures of her from behind, as she walked up some steps. Seemed obvious to me, he was into her heels, and she quite liked him being into her wearing them too. (Oh to be young again!)

Although brickwork will be warmed up more and more as the days go by, (eventually producing re-heated evenings) Sunday evening brought a cool and refreshing breeze - possibly a little too refreshing.... Last night (Monday) brought a humid night, with worse expected tonight. Since we don't get a great deal of hot weather, few of us have air con units at home, so humid nights make for difficulty in getting a good nights rest. Hopefully resolved by the weekend, with some cooler/wetter weather hoped for by the gardeners here. Although we haven't had a great deal of heat until recently, it's been mostly dry here in the South for some weeks. 

We have a garden party (birthday do) on Saturday, so we would prefer a dry Saturday, with temperatures in the low 20's. Will be making the most of the good weather while it lasts, and hope to get out again in heels very soon.

 

 

Edited by FastFreddy2

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Many saw temperatures today of 30' with heat continuing until after the weekend.

It's not very pleasant .... It's oppressive. :(

Edited by FastFreddy2

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Yes, the temperature (and UV level) is not particularly comfortable.   However, I am doing some work on a coastal property where conditions are a little less extreme, making even working on a flat roof bearable yesterday.   I just needed a baseball cap to keep the glare down.   More of the same today, with slightly lower temperature forecast, but I'll be taking the day off tomorrow and (I hope) enjoying the promised higher temperatures and some shade too.   Next week doesn't look so extreme.

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We started today with cloud cover, and Mrs F tells me a little rain early on. That would be rain/heavy mist, care of the North Sea (the weatherman said last night). So a bit cooler here, until the Sun broke through around 10.30am. We then back to "scorchio". :(

Fortunately for me, I spent much of my day inside, enjoying cooler temperatures. Will be sleeping on top of the bed tonight - again. Cat doesn't like this because him and his 5kg body can't sleep on my chest unless it's covered by a quilt. I am safe from his murdering attempts while it's warm. A cold day in winter, he will finally do the deed after discovering sleeping on my face, is the warmest part of the bed. 'Death by cat'. :ph34r:

 

The air con in my car barely works, and Mrs F's had emptied itself (again), so twice in 4 years. Neither of us has a vehicle we would want to travel in during such hot weather. I have been planning a trip to Eastbourne for a while, and this looked like the weekend to do it, but not in this heat without air con. Maybe next month? (When x2 top ups have been done.)

 

Was hoping to get out again Sunday, but have some work planned for Saturday, which may mean I'll be too tired to do anything but rest. :rolleyes:   

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On 2/13/2018 at 9:49 AM, Tacchi Alti said:

I haven't yet shown my wife my new shoe boots, which have pointy toes! Unfortunately she doesn't like the new block heeled boots, which is a disappointment as I'd thought they were as masculine as possible. So I'm still looking for some wedge boots/shoes and also some closed toe mules or sandals to wear as slippers. Both seem very elusive.

If you are still looking ....

ALDO have something along this line. I would show a picture, and include a link, but ALDO has a shyte search engine and a shyte website. Consequently I can't show you the very elegant looking high heeled closed toe mules I saw 'in-store' last week.  I would like to own a pair myself, but at circa £50+ (reduced to) I won't be buying. And since I can't find them on their shyte web site, I won't be talking myself into buying them either. 

If I go near one of their shyte stores, I'll try to take a picture, just for reference really. :rolleyes:

 

 

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Here we are nearly 2 weeks since my last 'weather report' and there is little to no change.

Still no rain for most of the South and South East. The grass everywhere is dry and brown. I remember what seems like only weeks ago, what looked like "lush green" foliage everywhere. Kinda 'lush Amazonian green' in fact. It's been a good four weeks since I saw rain though, and I believe I read a headline that mentioned 40+ days without it. Scotland and the South West not so dry, but not much regular (periodic) rain about and none local to me.

Some will think 25'C heat every day is a joy. Not me. I don't much like warm nights unless I'm sitting near a beach with a beer in my hand. Having to sleep with a fan on isn't easy when you sleep as lightly as I do. Going out in the heat wearing anything but shorts, also difficult. Driving, unpleasant. No adventures for two months. If I thought it would do any good, I'd learn some rain dances. A week of cool weather would help me get some proper sleep, proper rest and perhaps enthuse me to enjoy the warmth again. At the moment, I just feel tired, and often perspire even doing nothing to encourage it. I'm pretty sure the cat is sleeping outside at night too, because it is cooler outside at night and he likes his sleep. I'd do the same, but mozzies like me, and it seems every one of them knows I provide a good snack. 

We are promised a couple of degrees cooler mid-week, before temperatures ramp back up for the weekend. I might have to buy a child's paddling pool, or excavate a two yard hole in the garden and create a £30 swimming pool. :rolleyes: I've had enough. 

  

 

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