h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

In the last couple of minutes it has just started snowing.

So what you all ask. Snow is a regular part of winter.

Well not around here it ain't. There is a very specific micro-climate effect in Brighton. The town is squeezed up between the hills of the South Downs and the sea, which is nice and warm. Therefore when it is frost and ice and stuff around the rest of Southern England, here it is usually just a bit damp. This being becuase the local temperature is few degrees higher than inland.

In the nearly 9 years that I have lived in this part of the world. It has snowed properly - ie settled on the ground sort of snowing - precisely once, where it lay for one day.

And whilst I was typing all that out, the snow stopped

I got all excited here earlier when we got a mini-blizzard which lasted all of 5 minutes. It's often bloody cold in Derby, but snow normally gets dumped in the Peaks before it gets here.

You don't have microclimates like we do.

It's an INSET day today, so I finished early. Sun shone as I popped into Safeways to pick up the weekly shop.

As soon as I stepped inside, it snowed and snowed. As soon as I walked out, it was clear blue overhead again.

B

That was probably the weather gods aiming at some other poor person who set off to the shops in sunshine, was snowed and snowed on all the way there, only to have it stop as soon as the reached their destination. Did you notice ay really disgruntled-looking shoppers arriving as you left?

Hah - call that a micro climate - I walked in the front door out of the snow, through the office, into the machine hall, opened the back door - no snow.

Now THATS a micro climate.

Had the same in Brum- one window, blue sky, the other dirty grey snow colour. We did get a bit of a blizzard this morning though. Only about to inches, tops, but hey, it was amusing (and the roads had been gritted so not even lethal, thank heavens).

*two* inches, not to.

We just had a very promising mini-blizzard, but then it stopped again.

BTW GD, you've got a sleeping bag, haven't you? And you'll be needing directions to our place for the meet, won't you?

"Danny Wilde [...]"

I'm guessing that this KerrAvon in an alternative guise. Possibly something to do with the outbreak of Tony Curtises that affected the site yesterday?

Yes, I have a sleeping bag, and yes directions would be good. I think you've got my e-mail address already. In case you haven't it is "greydesk" and it is supplied by that very fine dot-com, gmail

As for snow, well it snowed some more during the night. And first thing today it had settled (sort of) on the roofs of cars, and on upon those houses with good insulation. As for settling upon the road or the pavement, not a jot.

Yep, it's Kerr- Gnonom has already asked who the Hell the strange person asking him questions is. Tony Curtis saga, yes- Danny Wilde was his chracter in 'The Persuaders!'. Directions on way. Reckon you can get to mine for 1200-1230ish? That gives us time for acuppa before heading to teh first pub be there before the rest.

The RAC are saying it's 191 miles and 3 and half hours driving time, so that should be do-able

Bxllxcks it is. We've done it in an hour less than that in the van. Still, an extra hour would allow for any potential cock-ups. Like a wobbly wheel, for instance .

As quick as that! You must have been shifting some

In the days when I used to commute between here and Lighthousegirl's place, which is about a 100 miles from here and a couple of junctions south of Oxford on the M40, I used to do the journey in about 1 hour 40 minutes. Any delays en route, and there *always* were some, added more minutes (and in one famous case hours) to the journey time.

Fastest time between Blues Shark's (in Essex) and the local pub is 3 hours. Mind you, something funny happened that day, someone nicked Newport Pagnell and Watford. Which is fair enough, I suppose.

"Fastest time between Blues Shark's (in Essex) and the local pub is 3 hours"

I take it that's your local, not his.

And can I have another copy of the directions please, in order to leave them behind again.

B

Yeah, my local

On their way.

It's snowing here now, which is very rare indeed. No sign of it settling though. The flat is freezing, too - probably because the builders have left the floor below with no windows and one whole wall missing.

The flat below you has a wall missing * hopes it does not fall over *

We have had lots of mini snow showers here but the snow has settled a couple of times and I am getting a little tired of scraping snow off my car! Oh that and driving through white out for 5 mins and then brilliant sun for a short while before decending back into general yeuck!