I can't get into work

[Howyoudoin]

Serious excuse from someone at work yesterday morning 30 Jan . . .

'I can't get into work or take my kids to nursery because the pavements are too slippery.'

Now, don't get me wrong, I've tried some outrageous, but believable excuses in my time.

That one is a stinker. And they got away with it.

HYD

[gryffron]

Bless. The poor lickle kiddies would have to walk all the way across that pavement from mummy's 4x4 to the front door.

[dionaeamuscipula]

Some years ago a work colleague was considered to have a reasonable excuse not to have attended due to snow after being shown on the national news having supplies helicoptered into his village.

DM

[swill453]

I love the heading in the Daily Wail "Chaos as blizzards strike London: Millions face nightmare journey to work after some areas are hit by several inches of snow on the coldest night in seven years - with lows of -15.4C".

The temperature in the disaster area that is London is +1C. In Braemar, where it's actually -15.4C they're shrugging "Hey it's winter, what do you expect?" as they look out the long-sleeved t-shirts.

Scott.

[bungeejumper]

'And I'm reporting from an ungritted pavement in Pussy-on-the-Wye. Truly appalling weather conditions here.'

Oi, I'll have you know that we pay a lot of money to live down here in this favoured southern climate. If that's the best our weather providers can do, we want a rebate on our council tax. Mind you, a few gritters on the roads wouldn't be a bad start. Ours have just been sent back to the depot "because the weather's too bad". Sheesh.

BJ

[Howyoudoin]

Horrendous conditions here in Central London. Just look at the view from my office window.



Obviously I've asked Senior Management for permission to leave early in this treacherous weather.

HYD

[simsqu]

Horrendous conditions here in Central London. Just look at the view from my office window.

HYD

Hey that's my front door. Give us a wave!

[scotia]

I remember once in my early teenage years, the snow defeated the bus that transported us to school some 6 miles away. So the lads decided to walk to school, and had great fun taking a shortcut down through the woods, and ending up at school in late morning. The headmaster was far from pleased to see us - since he now had the responsibility of looking after us and getting us back home safely. Fortunately the conditions improved, and a bus got through which took us home. We received no praise for our effort - instead the headmaster gave us a stern warning - stay at home if the bus can't get through!

[UncleEbenezer]

I remember once in my early teenage years, the snow defeated the bus that transported us to school some 6 miles away. So the lads decided to walk to school, and had great fun taking a shortcut down through the woods, and ending up at school in late morning. The headmaster was far from pleased to see us - since he now had the responsibility of looking after us and getting us back home safely. Fortunately the conditions improved, and a bus got through which took us home. We received no praise for our effort - instead the headmaster gave us a stern warning - stay at home if the bus can't get through!

Good for you. That is surely the natural reaction of lads as soon as they reach the age of being comfortable out of sight of mummy, and through to when they start to lose a sense of adventure. Maybe from 7 or 8 to sometime in middle age. What a shame society does so much to sap our spirit!

[kiloran]

Horrendous conditions here in Central London. Just look at the view from my office window.

HYD

Hey that's my front door. Give us a wave!

The balconies look really useful. A couple of growbags and it would be ideal for growing courgettes

--kiloran

[bungeejumper]

About six inches here in west Wilts, but drifting to two feet in the strong winds. Nothing's moving at our end of the village, although I should imagine the main road's been ploughed. Won't be digging the cars out for a day or two. Nothing for it, then, but to open a beer, turn up the boiler (and the Beethoven), and read a book**. It's a hard life.

BJ

** "The Phantom Atlas", since you ask - about all the weird and wonderful geographical errors that have sent navigators off the edge of the world over the last six centuries. No wonder Antarctica seems so close at the moment. https://www.theguardian.com/books/galle ... n-pictures

[AleisterCrowley]

I got an email from a BArkshire[sic] based company earlier on.

Due to the inclement weather and ensure Colleague safety, our Office is closed today

...

Well, here in west Berks we've got less than an inch of wet snow, and light drizzle... May be worse further west

[swill453]

Meanwhile in Newcastle...



Scott.

[simsqu]

Horrendous conditions here in Central London. Just look at the view from my office window.

HYD

Hey that's my front door. Give us a wave!

The balconies look really useful. A couple of growbags and it would be ideal for growing courgettes

--kiloran

Good idea. I'll have my butler mention it to Cook

[Rhyd6]

Our eldest granddaughter lives in Newcastle, she'd alreadt emailed some pics., as she said 'just when you think you've seen it all', mind you I bet the same can be said of lasses from Liverpool.

R6

[tjh290633]

We lived in the Peak District from 1961-3, during the two worst winters of recent times. I was working in Sheffield and we never missed a day getting in to work. After leaving our village (Great Longstone) we would typically meet 3 snowploughs, a milk lorry, a post van and a bus before we got to Calver. Up Froggat Edge, over Fox House, down to Eccleshall where my other half was teaching, then across to Broomhill where the local road was slightly tricky. My faithful VW Beetle never put a foot wrong.

Derbyshire County Council were nothing if not prepared. For several weeks they kept a front end loader at the top of Froggat Edge, where the wind was blowing snow onto the road, just to keep that road clear. I don't think that salt was used on the roads at that time, just grit.

TJH

[melonfool]

My colleague, who from Monday just gone now reports to me, but she didn't know this, had to go home because her cat was ill, then took two days off. One she 'booked' as working from home and told my boss she was "just going to dial in to a couple of calls" (er, no, if you're working, you're working and you have deliverables so do them) and the next day as annual leave with just that one day's notice.

This is her third week of employment. She appears to be an original CF (you'll have to look that up, it's a Mumsnet term).

She has now been told I am her boss and she was told she had to come in on the 'work from home' day (which, by the way, we can't 'book') and I note in her diary she has put a wfh day Tuesday - so I've put in a face to face meeting so she can do a live run through of the presentation she was supposed to be writing which has to be delivered to the whole management team on Wed, sadly for her I don't have time to do this with her on the Monday. Not sure how she thinks she can actually do this job without being there! Oh, and she lives twenty minutes drive away.

I can't see her lasting.

Mel

[jfgw]

Meanwhile in Newcastle...



Scott.

Hen night? Is that a bride-to-be in the background?

It looks like they are in for a white wedding!

Julian F. G. W.

[melonfool]

That's not a hen night photo.

Mel

[bungeejumper]

That's not a hen night photo.

Indeed not. Frozen chickens, possibly?

BJ