Favourite snowy memories

Gayle · 05-01-2010, 11:10

Apparently this is the worst snow for almost 100 years, but i certainly remember some good ones that almost compared.

One of my favourites - I was in sixth form at Paddock and only the Ossy girls made it into school, along with a handful of teachers. Instead of having classes we had a massive snowball fight against the teachers. Even the most strict teachers (Mr Uren in particular) joined in. It was great fun.

A slightly more hairy one - I was working in Blackburn and I would guess I was around about 25 yrs old. The snow came down so my boss decided to shut up shop. The only bus going remotely in the direction of Ossy was the Accrington bus, all others had stopped. It took about two hours to get from Blackburn to Church and at that point I got out and walked.

What are your best snow stories?

garinda · 05-01-2010, 11:15

Twenty of us having a meal in an Italian in Liverpool, in my last year at college, to celebrate my 21st birthday.

Coming out and finding it had snowed heavily whilst we'd been inside, and having a great time in the grounds of the Anglican cathedral throwing snowballs at the still kerb-crawling punters, sliding up and down Gambier Terrace.

garinda · 05-01-2010, 11:25

Least favourite snowy memories.

Getting the bus from Stanhill to go to Blackburn college, when l was doing art foundation.

Bit of sleet in the air when I set off.

Set off wearing an old raincoat, with a Star of David painted on the back. Vintage pre-war pyjamas, and espadrilles on my feet.

By the time we got to the Boulevard the snow was heavy on the ground.

I did make it to college, though my feet were bare, except for two bits of canvas, and two twenty foot trails of disintegrating rope soles trailing behind.

Happy days.

Gayle · 05-01-2010, 11:33

Actually, now I think about it, that hairy bus ride home was from college, when I was doing my foundation year.

garinda · 05-01-2010, 11:38

Other snowy memories.

We didn't waste time building boring snowmen, our dad had us building igloos. Some of which we slept in, and they lasted for weeks and weeks after the snow had gone.

The only drawback was that the blocks were cut from massive snowballs, rolled in the fields backing onto the garden. So are igloos were streaked khaki, because of all the cow muck they were made with.

Gayle · 05-01-2010, 11:42

The excitement of being given a sledge on Christmas day when I was 6 or 7, and being able to use it on Christmas day.

cashman · 05-01-2010, 14:27

one that really stands out,was sledging down dowry st from addison st, going really fast n a dray wagon came from the st johns pub going to great eastern, luckily it was only going slowly, due to the short distance, just closed me eyes n went right under it n out the other side n continued down dowry st.

ya don't get much luckier n that i reckon.

Margaret Pilkington · 05-01-2010, 15:11

making ice lollies on the back bedroom windowsill......that was inside the house.
It was the only time when we were little that we had ice lollies.

Using a tin tray to slide down Riley's hill in the snow....my brothers commandeered the two sledges....the tin tray was faster anyway.

Sometime in the late seventies......I remember getting the Ribble bus to Blackburn and it not being able to get up the other side of the papermill brew in Rishton.......I walked the rest of the way to Queen's Park......that wasn't exactly a favourite memory, but it was memorable.

jaysay · 05-01-2010, 15:18

Cant think this is the heaviest snow in a 100 years, when I was young, (no Neil and cashy I'm not that old) nearly every year the snow used to drift in Monarch street always down the line of the kerb outside our house, this drift was always about 4 or 5 feet deep, can't remember seeing it so bad for many a year, just for interest Gayle whats it like in Monarch Street today

Gayle · 05-01-2010, 17:13

Monarch St is fairly bad. As are most of the roads down here - the gritter isn't likely to get down here.

Here are a few pics from this afternoon. Hoping to create some new snowy memories for Madz and Zack.

Barrie Yates · 05-01-2010, 17:48

1947 - sledging down Oswald St, across Washington St - actually want under a lorry. Snow houses built in the snow banks where people had cleared the pavements. My own Granny ruined it - she lived across the road and put ashes across the sledge run - the sledge stopped I didn't and went all the way down on my belly. Sledging down the face of the Coppice - absolute nutters, but did we have fun

Eric · 05-01-2010, 18:51

My favorite snowy memory ... mmmm, let me think

... lots of them over here

But one thing that stands out is my first experience of a Chinook. I was living in the village of Kincaid, Sask., and one night, the temps dipped close to -50 with the wind chill. Overnight and the next morning, a Chinook blew in, and by the next afternoon there were small rivers flowing down Main Street as the temps shot up to + 10. Never seen so much snow and ice vanish so quickly.

katex · 05-01-2010, 19:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by cashman

one that really stands out,was sledging down dowry st from addison st, going really fast n a dray wagon came from the st johns pub going to great eastern, luckily it was only going slowly, due to the short distance, just closed me eyes n went right under it n out the other side n continued down dowry st.

ya don't get much luckier n that i reckon.

Pleased you told that story Cashy ... seem to remember someone wasn't that lucky down Dowry Street, and cracked his skull... whoops sorry ... supposed to be happy memories.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

Sometime in the late seventies.....Blackburn and it not being able to get up the other side of the papermill brew in Rishton.......I walked the rest of the way to Queen's Park......that wasn't exactly a favourite memory, but it was memorable.

Well, my daughter has just walked the 3 mile into work today and son decided that for once the elements had beaten him cycling to work .. so walked/ran the six miles home. Proud of 'em .. not all will be beaten, as you were not Margaret.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barrie Yates

My own Granny ruined it - she lived across the road and put ashes across the sledge run - the sledge stopped I didn't and went all the way down on my belly. Sledging down the face of the Coppice - absolute nutters, but did we have fun

Eeew yeh ... those ashes certainly halted the run didn't they ..

I did the Coppice run too, and still have a spell embedded in my hand after grabbing a tree 'cause I was going too fast..

I have just normal good memories of snow. Sledging down Dowry Street .. although didn't have one of my own .. had to wait until my best mate would allow me a 'turn'.

We do not appear to have had any drifts for years (no wind) .. loved jumping over those. Don't see kids making slides any more (Health and Safety ?) ... even in Peel Park yard remember the queue for these ... long strip of ice ... great. Snowballing was great, until some idiot decided to put a stone in the middle of it ... yobs of the 50's I guess.

LYNX1 · 05-01-2010, 20:22

Remember going to Ronnie Mulhollands (landlord of The Royal) birthday do.......left about 6.00 am to go home and get ready for work, slipped on some ice and ended up with a cracking black eye, no one believed me at work I told them how I got the black eye........happy days

shillelagh · 05-01-2010, 21:31

my sister deciding a 19 year old can still use the sledge that she had when she was a kid and but it would be a good idea to get baby sis to test the sledge out first into a snowdrift about 6ft deep .. the sledge sunk .. and big sis saying come on jen get out of there you have to drag it back home yet .. the hill she took me to is now under the 'highway in the sky' .... she also swiped some of mums bin bags .. we dumped the sledge at the bottom of the shales - and went up to the top of the shales and slid down that .... in the bin bags .. which ripped .. shales is not called shales for nothing .. jaysay will vouch for me there ... and ripped my jeans ... good job sis was going back to manchester polytechnic that night .. she didnt get the earache ..