Okay, it was great at first but now it can go away.The weather forecast people on Monday told us on Sunday categorically that whereas temperatures would remain low for this week, at least it would remain dry. The thaw they said would start on Christmas Eve.
Can these people not be imprisoned for telling lies? Its barely stopped snowing since Monday - it just goes on and on and on. Now they are saying, well it might start to thaw on Stephens Day. Might.
Meanwhile, the misery continues for thousands. Dublin airport is shut again, because they can't find the guy with the key to the shed, where they keep the broom that is used to sweep the runway. Despite assurances that we have plenty of grit and salt, the roads around our way haven't been done for a week - including the N3, one of the main arterial roads in and out of the city and the M50, probably the busiest road in the country.
People are taking over five hours to get home of an evening. I've supposed to have been off the past three days but I had to go in on Tuesday night because only two people turned up for the night shift. Great fun negotiating the back road between Leixlip and Clonee at 5 o'clock in the morning.
I have to work Christmas Eve 7am to 7pm, Christmas Day 7am to 7pm and negotiated to be off on Stephens Day because I'm a "significant" birthday that day and we are having our Christmas that day as the day before will be a wash-out. Now with this bleeding snow, there's every possibility I'll be called in.
Not that it won't be a washout anyway with all the arrangements now in serious doubt. How is my wife supposed to get down to her parents house on Christmas Day with the turkey, ham and stuffing? How are we all supposed to meet up on Christmas night?
I'm 50 on Sunday and this will be my first White Christmas. I hope its my last. The radio will go off when Bing Crosby comes on.
Rant over....
I'm so sorry about all the snow - we would take it off your hands, but we have plenty ourselves, thank you. Of course it sounds like we're better equipped to manage it than Dublin is.
ReplyDeleteHere's hoping for a Christmas miracle & that you get to celebrate your birthday in style!
Oh I do love to lisdten to a good healthy rant Peter - it did make me laugh, in spite of the fact that it is serious - you did seem to write it with tongue in cheek. Dare I say Happy Christmas and here's to the new year and good blogging.
ReplyDeleteOh, I don't want to sound unsympathetic, because I DO feel your pain, BUT welcome to MY world! You're just going to have to get Canada to send over some of our big trucks and we'll use some of the sand on your beaches to do the roads. Barring that, I recommend snowshoes, Everest-parkas, climbing inside the skin of a whale (Greenpeace, don't come marching for that!) get yourself some skis, skates or at the very least, a toboggan.
ReplyDeleteNext year (now that I know), you'll be getting a very funny card from me in the mail on your birthday. I can't do it this year, obviously. I'm going to enjoy the last six months of 49, as I think of you turning over to the big 5-O!
Hope it all works out in the long run. Play, Elvis Costello's, "St. Stephen's Day Murders". That should help!
Kat
Oh God Peter, I've always felt sorry for people who have birthdays so close to Christmas - that really beats all though - stay safe anyway. Hope you get Sunday off
ReplyDeleteMy son (who is 22)gave out to me the other day because I never showed him how to make a snowman. There's been one very good reason for that...
ReplyDeleteAh, I'm not really complaining, there's so many people in the world who have real problems.
It's all the government's fault anyway.