Where else in the world but here?

[*Bob*]

In comparison to the week or two of sickies your average UK worker takes every year in order to lie on the sofa playing Wii, text their friends and stuff their faces with crisps - a couple of days every decade or two to throw snowballs and lark about is small potatoes.

[Louisa]

shaun more than you will ever realise dear boy hehe

*Bob* as you well know, small potatoes sometimes grow into larger ones.

DD, exactly, some people think that the the country still ticks over even if everyone is sat on their a*se or in the park chucking balls of frozen water at one another. tut tut.

I am not a killjoy people, snow is a very beautiful thing - if I were a 6 year old or perhaps a ski fanatic just landed in Geneva I could appreciate the winter wonderland, but a week day in London town with a couple of inches on the ground isnt exactly Val D'Isere.

Sean dear heart, I care deeply for my views and you know I dont intend to offend, but I am not changing my views overnight just because the magic of some frozen water has sent the rest of ED into a frenzy of childlike proportions.

Louisa.

[Mikecg]

F*ck the banks, the govt should let the weak ones die. I thought we lived in a dog eat dog world where nothing except corporate greed will do. I expect people to try and justify the reasons why they are going to give me a few diggs for saying so. You know when sometimes you may have a disaster happen like when your car bombs out or an unexpected bill arrives, the only way you can deal with it is to go ever so slightly over your overdraft, we cant all be the model bank customer, they shaft you with a ridonkulous almost smugg letter telling you, because you havn't got thousands in your account you peasant, you went ?1.00 over your limit and now owe us ?35.00 and if you dont pay up by such and such it goes up.

You could say, "You should be more responsible". In my younger days, I used to go overdrawn to go out sometimes, I would get shafted with bank charges for the pleasure, and when my Dad would give me a lecture about it I would say, "I'm sorry I had a good time". HEHEHE!....

[macroban]

Shaun has a flaw. It goes like this:

Little girl (with large pleading eyes): Daddy, I'm cold and hungry. Please may I have some food?

Father: I'm sorry, we don't have any money.

Little girl (with eyes now wet): Why don't we have any money?

Father: One day I didn't go into work. I didn't know how fragile my employer's finances were. My employer didn't make enough money that day to keep going. I lost my job.

Little girl (gives Daddy a hug): I still love you Daddy. When I grow up I'll make sure we have enough food to eat.

[Mikecg]

Teleportation over IP is the answer, then TFL can go swivel.

[Louisa]

or... (alternative ending)

Little girl (gives Daddy a hug): I still love you Daddy. When I grow up I wont take random days off work playing in the snow and will make sure I keep what may well be an ailing economy as a result of your present actions alive by working even when as much as four inches of snow has fallen on the ground!

Louisa.

[Mikecg]

OR, Daddy there is snow outside and there is no transport to get you to work can we build a snowman, OK My sweet pea, never mind my little cherub, ebaneezer is coming to pick me up in his car so that I can plug some wires into some big tin boxes for the man who lives in the big mansion with that DM lady. LOL!!!....

[*Bob*]

Little girl: Daddy I've forgotten what your face looks like because every day you leave for work before I'm awake and get home after I've gone to bed. And now Mummy's forgotten as well and she's spending an awful lot of time with her new special friend. Daddy, why is our house up for sale?

[Marmora Man]

The idea that people staying at home on Monday cost the economy billions is a fallacy.

Their actions may have deferred some real money spending but that spending didn't disappear. I bought no milk on Monday, nor did I go out with my wife to buy a new bed as we planned. However, I bought milk on Tuesday and we'll look for the new bed at the weekend - both spending deferred.

In the wider economy contracts may not have been signed on Monday but they will be signed, new employees may not have been interviewed on Monday but they will be interviewed.

If you like he British economic train, which is admittedly struggling at present, stopped for a day due the the wrong kind of snow but the journey was resumed on Tuesday with the destination and route unchanged.

It was certain service sectors and their clients that suffered on Monday (tho' not, particularly, in a financial sense - EG hospitals where night staff stayed on during the day, care workers who were unable to reach their clients.

Taking on a point from a different thread - occasionally not working is good for the soul. The overall rise in bonhomie and goodwill generated by the shared experience of playing in the snow may have a positive effect on many outweighing any real or fallacious financial loss.

[Mikecg]

*Bob*

I know where you are coming from, aint that the truth. :)-D

[Moos]

The First Day

On the first day a wonder came upon the people of East Dulwich, because the weather forecast was correct. And snow did fall from the sky, and covered the ground more thickly than any could remember. And it did cover the roads and the railways, it covered the houses and the gardens and it covered the parks and the open spaces. And there were no trains and no buses, for all the land was full of snow. And the people of East Dulwich rejoiced saying Yay! Let?s go and play in the snow, for we cannot get to work and our children cannot go to school. And the Wise Woman did rebuke the people saying Alas, we shall all lose billions for lo the economy is in great tribulation. And the people did lob snowballs at her for they did not care. And the people did play in the parks and in the gardens with their children and their dogs and there was much gladness in their hearts. And a woman like a fair red fruit did say Come! Rejoice and be merry for tomorrow you may work but today you must live. And the people did flock to the Bishop and there they recognised one another with the Signs of the Forum and did consume much of the wine that is red and did fall down in drunkenness. And the shopkeepers and the publicans of East Dulwich did rub together their hands and say I?m making a mint here. And the people did come together in joy and did address themselves to strangers even as brothers and they did build great monuments in the ice and the snow. The evening came and the stars arose into the cold sky, and the people slept.

The Second Day

The second day came, and lo a great change came over the people, for they remembered how much work they had to do and wished only to surrender their souls even unto the Man. But the children of East Dulwich cried out and wished only to play in the snow again. But the mothers and the fathers did say Nay, ye must to school and be lifted out of the darkness of your ignorance, what am I paying my taxes for. And the schools did say only Ye have reached The Great School of East Dulwich. We value your custom. Unfortunately there is no-one here to take your call. Please leave a message and we will ring you back. And the mothers and the fathers did grind their teeth and somehow work something out. And still there were no trains for the Chief Elder of the Transport did say only ?We did our best?. But the people did pile onto the buses and were transported even unto their offices and places of business and all did grumble loudly, saying Yesterday was understandable, but pull your bloody finger out. And the bus drivers did say Ye are the ungrateful sons and graceless daughters of swine, we drove the buses through the ice and did not fail. And the people did say grudgingly Yes, that?s true, nice one. And the Meeja did beat their breasts and they cried Alack! for the economy is sore ailing and we are all doomed. But the people heeded the Meeja not and they said Today we have returned to the service of the Man but ever we will remember the joy of yesterday and we regret it not.

The evening came, and the stars wheeled in the sky and the people were angered for still were there no trains and did say This is the outside of enough.

The Third Day

The third day came, and the people boarded their trains as usual and among them the sons of the Palaeologi. And at the station was a lone man of the Counsellors scraping away the ice with a spoon and the sons of the Palaeologi did shake their heads and say Wherefore could they not give him some decent equipment. But the people went to the Counsellors and did lift up their hands crying Why are there no gritters on the roads and pavements? For I have fallen on my arse and am sorely tried. And the learned sons and daughters of the hospitals did say It?s not funny, we?ve been treating people for falls all day. And the Counsellors did say, We?re getting to it, but the wrath of the people was not appeased and they did say Tch under their breaths.

The Fourth Day

And on the fourth day yet more snow was forecast...

[SeanMacGabhann]

http://store.payloadz.com/img/products/str-asp-n.Applause_Meter_Software_Audio_and_Video_-end-94628_detail.jpg

[SeanMacGabhann]

How odd - the graphic changed from off-the-scale to not-even-started

anyway, it was MEANT to show appreciation for moos post which made me laugh

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Encore!

[Mikecg]

Very Good Moos. you can't beat a bit of originality.

[Tony.London Suburbs]

Mikecg Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Very Good Moos. you can't beat a bit of

> originality.

Yes, it was good Moos.

MIKE: THAT WAS FANTASTIC M8!...just played "This Is It" which was superb Guitar playing from you!

You are very talented and you have "officially" been added as a "Favourite"(!)>:D<

[Mikecg]

Thanks Tony, I'm glad you like it.B)

[Izodia]

Yep that was good, Moos. Feeling rather sorry for myself after being one of those who landed painfully on their arse this morning...so that gave me a good chuckle. :-)

[giggirl]

I'm also filling out my application form for the "Moos Appreciation Society". Very well done! I can't actually laugh because I'm at work but I smirked several times.

Px

[Moos]

Aw, ta folks

[Vee]

Great post Moos...

Louisa, given your strong views on how much Monday's weather has effected the UK economy, are you willing to divulge exactly what you were doing to buck the trend amidst all the frivolous chaos? I have to say I am really intrigued as you have very strong views on how lazy and negligent everyone else is. Do tell.....

[Louisa]

Vee my love, as much as I would love to divulge how I spend my precious days amidst the chaos known as ED, I am afarid this is neither the time nor the place for such information to be shared. However, I did take sometime out of my busy day to reove ice and snow from the front of my property. Did you?

Louisa.

[woofmarkthedog]

Snow way................really

[joom]

Oh what nonsense. The snow doesn't know 'that London is actually a global city' or that there's 'tourism is one of the few things that actually seems to be a revenue maker these days'. This is because snow is not at all clever. It simply drops out of the sky, in place of it's friend the rain, then floats around a bit and it usually doomed to melt on landing.

Once in a blue moon, and far less often than in Toronto or Moscow, the snow thrives. Whole gangs of it take over the streets, molesting the progress of curmudgeons, wetting the clothes of innocent, and even stopping a few buses. OMG the world must be ending! I just saw the four horsemen of the Apocalypse slipping and sliding past the CPT, they should have left the horses in the garage/stable thing.

But seriously.

Were TFL, the Mayor, local or national govt to spend huge sums annually just in case this white scourge showed up and started bossing us about I can hear the Louisa style moaning already.

I for one am perfectly happy with the buses stopping when it gets too snowy for them as I am not at all keen on being involved in bus sized traffic accidents. The transport system did not grind to a halt, die, explode, implode or get sold to foreigners. It was compromised for a day and even then didn't stop completely.

ap

[AnotherPaul]

As smart-arsed as I am, that last post was actually by me, not Joom, my wife. I blame the snow.