gritting etc.
Feb. 2nd, 2009 03:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ajvaStef cycled in to work as usual today, the nutter. (Note: we live in Walthamstow; he works in Fulham.) There were apparently exactly two other cyclists on the roads over the 20-or-so-mile route.
Anyway, he works for the Parks Department, and was telling me on the phone there that Hammersmith & Fulham Council has a bit of a problem now, as they've used so much grit up that they've completely run out. So any of you guys living down there might want to watch out for ice over the next day or two. The thing with grit is that it does actually cost a fair amount of money to buy in any quantity, believe it or not, so I'm not adding my voice to those who think the councils should just bally well have enough. I think when you consider overall prioritisation of budgets the odd day or two of chaos is acceptable, particularly when work tells me to go home at lunchtime, as happened today. :o)
Actually, last night when we were watching the weather forecast, Stef decided he'd suggest to his boss that they shut the parks today (health and safety, you see; lack of a realistic chance of gritting everything, you see), so emailed him there and then. Shut the parks! I told him it was madness. What a horrible disappointment that would be if I lived in H&F and had the day off. I emailed him today to ask if they had, and fortunately they had been unable to do so due to the fact that "thousands of people are occupying* the parks and are having fun, so we've had to keep them open".
Phew.
* I particularly enjoyed the use of this verb. Almost as if he was reporting a unionised snowman sit-in.
Anyway, he works for the Parks Department, and was telling me on the phone there that Hammersmith & Fulham Council has a bit of a problem now, as they've used so much grit up that they've completely run out. So any of you guys living down there might want to watch out for ice over the next day or two. The thing with grit is that it does actually cost a fair amount of money to buy in any quantity, believe it or not, so I'm not adding my voice to those who think the councils should just bally well have enough. I think when you consider overall prioritisation of budgets the odd day or two of chaos is acceptable, particularly when work tells me to go home at lunchtime, as happened today. :o)
Actually, last night when we were watching the weather forecast, Stef decided he'd suggest to his boss that they shut the parks today (health and safety, you see; lack of a realistic chance of gritting everything, you see), so emailed him there and then. Shut the parks! I told him it was madness. What a horrible disappointment that would be if I lived in H&F and had the day off. I emailed him today to ask if they had, and fortunately they had been unable to do so due to the fact that "thousands of people are occupying* the parks and are having fun, so we've had to keep them open".
Phew.
* I particularly enjoyed the use of this verb. Almost as if he was reporting a unionised snowman sit-in.
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no subject
Date: 2009-02-02 04:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-02 05:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-02 05:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-02 08:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-02 10:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-02 05:18 pm (UTC)ha. makes me think of a Greenham Common/Aldermaston type situation...
what do we WANT?
Parks and SNOW?
Make Snowballs not War etc...
no subject
Date: 2009-02-02 05:54 pm (UTC)A good strategy for Afghanistan, perhaps? :o)
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Date: 2009-02-02 05:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-02 07:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-02 07:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-02 07:05 pm (UTC)menpersons should definitely unionise. They already have to put up with seasonal work, out of doors, for long hours, in adverse weather condition with almost no protection. Nobody even bothers doing a risk assessment, they just think "OOH, SNOWMAN!".No concern for the workers.
*shakes head*
no subject
Date: 2009-02-03 01:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-03 01:13 pm (UTC)Crystal Palace park is - thank goodness - unclosable.
We went there yesterday, lots of photos of us on mine & Libby's facebook.
Loads of kids tobogganing etc. - bloomin' marvellous.