Re: It's cold... brrrrrrr
 

We don't have curtains or blinds...I took this pic this morning.

Re: It's cold... brrrrrrr
 

Yeah, I'm inclined to believe AT's website at the moment. Which is a 23:59 departure from Gatwick... which I don't think they can actually do...?

Re: It's cold... brrrrrrr
 

I'm still here. Living in the dark ages, but still here.

Newfoundland has had a unseasonably high amount of snow (100cm on the ground in St John's) and unseasonably low temps. (On Friday it was -18C with a windchill of -30). That's all fine and dandy and we were taking things in our stride until the power started going off.

A confluence of events - extreme cold, aging equipment, badly planned maintenance schedules, failures etc - has lead to power demand outstripping power generation capacity. So, at the end of last week we were told that we'd see rolling blackouts at times of peak demand. This is in an allegedly first world nation in 2014. Even that wasn't too bad until a transformer at a distribution facility blew up on Saturday about 9.00am. The whole Island went dark as the main generating facilities tripped offline. We had no power for about 8 hrs on Saturday. A day after 35cm of snow that was still blowing around in temps of -12c. Our power came back on at 5.30pm but some people were without power all weekend. Sunday night just as things seemed to be stablising, another piece of equipment went bang and the thermal generating station at Holyrood went offline. Again, people were without power for upto 12 hrs. Fortunately we were ok.

The govt took the decision delay opening of schools, colleges and the University until tommorrow to give some time for the situation to stabilise. What happens tomorrow when they all start heating up and the kids start getting ready for school in the morning is unknown!;)

The worrying thing about the situation here is that it is insufficient power generation capacity to meet demand that is the problem. So, very different from say transmission lines being brought down by ice storms. The govt owned power utility has not invested enough money in maintenance and replacement of a very aging generation infrastructure. Popular opinion is that this has happened because all eyes, and resources are on the massively expensive Muskrat Falls hydro project in Labrador that has started construction with an expected in sevice date of 2017. Thats an $8 billion project that the taxpayers of Nfld are on the hook for. Part of the project is an interconnect line from Labrador to the Island of Newfoundland to bring power here. Currently, our electrical grid is isolated from the rest of Canada. So unlike say ON, if we have a shortage of power, we cannot import from elsewhere in Canada or the US.

People are dying from CO poisioning through badly used generators/bbq's/propane camping stoves. Houses have burned down in fires started by candles. Seniors homes without generator backup had to be evacuated to hotels in the wee small hours. All of the education system is closed and on Monday gas & fresh food was in short supply. If you need heating oil there is a 3-4 day wait for delivery. But, according to our illustrious Premier, we're not in a crisis. Oh, and we should expect more of the same until Muskrat Falls comes on line in 3 years time.

Happy days.;)

AX

PS. It's +5C and pissing with rain at the moment. Flooding everywhere. And a freeze tonight. I'm trading my snowblower for some dynamite.

Re: It's cold... brrrrrrr
 

I think we've established before that we actually reside quite close to each other ( I think)

We should get together for a cuppa (when the weather is more cooperative). Our balcony door was flexing in the wind all last night ,

Re: It's cold... brrrrrrr
 

That would be nice. :)

We have double patio doors on the balcony. The condo next door only had the inner door closed and it shattered the other night...the night it was very windy and cold...Friday I think. :eek:

Re: It's cold... brrrrrrr
 

Depends on the foretasted weather for arrival at the time of departure.

If I figured it out correctly the inbound aircraft is flight 122, departed Toronto at 0637 with an ETA in LGW at 2115 according the Air Transat website.

Flight aware has it lifting off Toronto at 0654 and arriving at 623GMT (not sure if that is the real time in London or not or if GMT is really 9pm..)

Providing the weather for arrival tomorrow in Toronto isn't horrendous, I say you have a chance at getting out.

Flight Aware has the inbound flight just about to start the trek across the Atlantic.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/TSC122

Flight Aware will get spotty once its no longer near land and wont be as useful.

Re: It's cold... brrrrrrr
 

Do you at least have beer?

Re: It's cold... brrrrrrr
 

Yes, Although I'm attempting a dry January after drinking way too much in the month or so I was back in the UK over Christmas. I was sorely tempted to start drinking on Saturday but resisted. Whether I'll last til February remains to be seen. It is the 28th Jan today isn't it?

Re: It's cold... brrrrrrr
 

February's the month to be dry, it's shorter!

Re: It's cold... brrrrrrr
 

All this talk of snow-days! Pah!
I was watching the news last night - half of Minnesota schools have shut because of the cold. The poor kids here in the Peg don't get that luxury!

I was informed that the schools have only closed twice in the last 20 years! That was due to being below minus 50 one time and blizzards piling so much snow against the doors they couldn't dig them open in time. We have hit minus 50 a couple of times but nothing below that yet (I'm waiting for it though:eek:)

They do however cancel the school busses at anything below minus 45 because they won't start again if they were to break down away from the garages, so that happened yesterday(first school day back) - but they still expect parents to drive the kids in anyway...meanies..:sneaky:

Re: It's cold... brrrrrrr
 

If you get down to -78C, the carbon dioxide in the air will start to freeze out.

No worries though, it's a dry ice.

Re: It's cold... brrrrrrr
 

Had an appointment to go to at 10.00 but not going to risk getting to the street. Best efforts with ice breaker and salt have done nothing to improve the death trap that is our drive.

Reports in the paper about a 'flash freeze' suggest this is worse than a normal freeze.

Is there any reason why an icy surface resulting from a quick freeze should be worse than a normal one?

Certainly our drive has never been this bad in 9 winters.

In the previous 8 I have slipped and fallen in the street just three times. I've done it twice this year.

Re: It's cold... brrrrrrr
 

Thanks, that'll be something to look forward to then :p

Re: It's cold... brrrrrrr
 

Guy in my office commutes to Guelph from London, ON. Only 3 days a week...else he'd spend a complete fortune on petrol.

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No salt here and the ice is unbreakable on the drive. I actually shovelled snow "onto the drive" just so we could walk to the car and make safer access for the postie. It worked too Lol