The Lemon Fool

tjh290633 wrote:

kiloran wrote:

scotia wrote:Hoar frost on the trees, a light dusting of snow and a cooling breeze from the north - what is there not to like about that?

True. A typical scottish summer

--kiloran

I remember being in Aberdeen at Whitsuntide in 1960, when it snowed. We had a very bracing walk along the beach at Cruden Bay, when we were the only people on the beach. High Tea at the Hotel made up for it.

TJH

I'll see your Aberdeen 1960, and raise you Buxton 1975 !

But this is nothing compared to June of 1975 when Lancashire's match with Derbyshire at Buxton was stopped because of snow.

On the Saturday crowds had basked in short sleeve shirts and enjoyed ice cream while watching Lancashire - who had West Indies ace Clive Lloyd in their side, pile on 477-5.
[...]
"When I went out to inspect the wicket [on Monday], the snow was level with the top of my boots," said umpire Dickie Bird. "I'd never seen anything like it."

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/cricket/you-think-weather-bad-snow-11261298

I was living outside Bakewell in 1963 and drive to Buxton to get the train into Manchester. In February, I think, and our local station, Great Longstone, had been closed as part of the Breaching reforms. On arrival back at Buxton it was snowing well. However I had a good run as far as Ashford in the Water. When I caught up with the snow plough, I realised why the run had been good. My VW Beetle got me up the lane to Longstone without trouble. Next morning I learnt that a coach not far behind me had got stuck and the passengers had had to spend the night at the pub at Taddington, at the highest point on the A6.

TJH

"Ah, were I courageous enough
To shout, Stuff your pension!
But I know, all too well, that's the stuff
That dreams are made on:"

https://www.oatridge.co.uk/poems/p/phil ... -toads.php

tjh290633 wrote:I was living outside Bakewell in 1963 ...

TJH

Small world ! I was only a child, but my family lived in Calver from 1969 to 71, and I went to Lady Manners School in Bakewell at the time.

mike wrote:

tjh290633 wrote:I was living outside Bakewell in 1963 ...

TJH

Small world ! I was only a child, but my family lived in Calver from 1969 to 71, and I went to Lady Manners School in Bakewell at the time.

Coincidence indeed. We lived in Great Longstone from 61-63, through the two bad winters. We were both working in Sheffield and never missed a day, although one day a car got stuck on Froggatt Edge and we had to go round via Totley instead of the usual route.

TJH

monabri wrote:

"Ah, were I courageous enough
To shout, Stuff your pension!
But I know, all too well, that's the stuff
That dreams are made on:"

https://www.oatridge.co.uk/poems/p/phil ... -toads.php

Eeeh, I knew that were Larkin, moment I read it like..

Cop this;

I work all day, and get half-drunk at night.
Waking at four to soundless dark, I stare.
In time the curtain-edges will grow light.
Till then I see what’s really always there:
Unresting death, a whole day nearer now,

Snorvey wrote:Inland today for a wee cycle around some of the backroads.

I thought some of our roads are bad, but that's the worst road I've ever seen. Your local council need a rocket up their backsides

--kiloran

kiloran wrote:

Snorvey wrote:Inland today for a wee cycle around some of the backroads.

I thought some of our roads are bad, but that's the worst road I've ever seen. Your local council need a rocket up their backsides

--kiloran

I have noticed one like that which has surfaced close by our old railway line walkway. I assume its a relief road for the bikers who plague the walkway. True - it has a trickle of water on it, but surely that should be no handicap. We need a few notices up - to the Kevin bikeway.

kiloran wrote:I thought some of our roads are bad, but that's the worst road I've ever seen. Your local council need a rocket up their backsides

--kiloran

I've cycled and driven on worse.

Seriously.

Including a dried river bed (probably an occasional actual river bed) in the Apennine Mountains, marked on the map as a road! Very much more challenging than some of the Dartmoor tors local to here, or the Pennine Way.

We have been thinking about all of the West Coast (of Scotland) Gardens we would normally have visited at this time of year for the Rhododendron, and now the Azalea blooms. It has been an excellent year for both. And today we have our first Meconopsis (Blue Himalayan Poppy) in bloom - so we will be missing the sight of large beds of these as well. Here's our first bloom of the season.

Snorvey wrote:
And the Danish F16 escort.....



]

Hmm, nice camouflage. Like the way it just blends in...

AleisterCrowley wrote:Hmm, nice camouflage. Like the way it just blends in...

My thoughts as well - then I wondered - any scrap they get into will almost certainly be with missiles beyond visual range - so you might as well look good!

..with a big white target painted amidships? Good plan.

AleisterCrowley wrote:..with a big white target painted amidships? Good plan.

I wonder if it makes any difference these days, given that presumably most munitions are radar guided, heat seeking etc. The days of 'bandit at one o'clock' have passed I should think.

RC

Probably not, but vaguely recall there are some situations where a visual is required, and a 'out of missiles' attacker may switch to the gun(s)
Yes, some do still have peashooters (20mm canonn etc)
Plus, they would really stand out on the ground, on a sat reconn photo

AleisterCrowley wrote:Probably not, but vaguely recall there are some situations where a visual is required, and a 'out of missiles' attacker may switch to the gun(s)

An "out of missiles attacker" should be beating a hasty retreat.
Back in the Korean War, it was reputed that one of the USA Sabre pilots had the text "Not the Boldest - but the Oldest" painted on the side of his aircraft.

AleisterCrowley wrote:Plus, they would really stand out on the ground, on a sat reconn photo

Yes, much easier for an attacking bomber to pick it out on the ground when painted like that. Looks nice in press photos though. I think it is safe to assume they'd repaint it if combat looked imminent.

Most modern combat aircraft (including the just entering service F35) are still built to dogfight at close quarters, and pilots still train for it. Historically, beyond visual range missiles have never proved nearly as useful in actual warfare as they appear in peacetime. Of course missile technology has improved in recent decades, but so have the countermeasures. Until someone tries it in a genuine shooting match, we won't really know just how good each sides' long range missiles and countermeasures really are.

Gryff

Eeeh, you wouldn't get me up there...

AleisterCrowley wrote:Eeeh, you wouldn't get me up there...

There's a fairly easy route up, and it's only 731m high. The hardest part is that it's a 6 mile walk from the nearest road.

(Not that I've done it, but it's on my todo list.)

I posted my pic of it from a distance on this thread earlier viewtopic.php?t=4836&start=620

Scott.

I got slightly wobbly crossing a motorway last week, as the footpath had a fairly low handrail. Total drop - erm about 15m ?
Here 'tis
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.45737 ... 312!8i6656