Weather Banter - View Single Post - Shetland set to chill down

Maurice Smith · November 23rd 05, 10:23 PM posted to uk.sci.weather

On 23/11/05 8:37 pm, in article
, "Gavin Staples"
wrote:

"Maurice Smith" wrote in message
...
With the forecast on BBC Radio Shetland indicating storm force N or NE
winds
Thursday lunchtime to Friday lunchtime, with gusts 70-80 mph, and frequent
heavy squally snow showers, the electricity company are bringing up 2
teams
of linesmen from the mainland on the overnight ferry (14 hours of bliss
...). They will be stationed on the two most northerly isles of the group,
Unst and Yell.

Me? I've cleaned, re-fuelled and test-run the generator, so at least we
should keep the freezers, lights, microwave and telly, if it all goes
pear-shaped! Our worst in recent years was to lose power on a Saturday
morning, and get it back about 8 pm Monday. I felt like kissing the
linesmen, but they indicated a preference for hot, home-made soup and
scones! On that occasion wet snow froze on the power lines, some of which
stretched so much they actually touched the ground. 4mm fencing wires
became
20 mm ice tubes. Give me the dry, powdery stuff any day.

Sheep flocks have been moved into fields with the best shelters, and extra
hay bought. Poor old hens - they will go from being free-range to very
deep
litter for the next few days. They DON'T like being confined!

Maurice Smith
Sandwick, Shetland

It just shows how harsh things can get up north compared with what us
southerners are used to. I hope things don't get too rough for you.

Gavin.

Thanks for that, Gavin. We don't get many big snow-ups these days, though twice
in my youth we were cut off by snow for a week. The Rayburn stove was a good
friend!

The main stress is looking after our livestock, spread over about 100 acres.
An old relative used to comment that the lucky guys had nothing outside
their door apart from the handle.