cold spell

Sleeping bag and a quilt? I've slept in a tent 4000m up mountains, and been hot in a sleeping bag, let alone a quilt as well! That's crazy, it must be really cold where you are.

I have the heating on (stuff all this about the gas supplies running low, I have a full tank of oil in my garden) and a well stocked fridge (tesco's made a delivery on Friday). I've been driving to work in my car, through all the snow, and the only trouble I've had is parking on my drive (which is like an ice sheet) - then again I tend to spend a lot of time in France in the Alps during the winter, so I'm used to driving on snow and ice.

To be honest, the only trouble I've had is with kids from the local primary school building snowmen on my front lawn. We've had about 4inches of snow, and are expecting more, but to be honest, nothing much has changed apart from wearing gloves and a scarf when I go out for me. I do have my grandfather living with me, however, and it is very difficult for him because he can't walk far anyway, and with all the ice he hasn't left the house in days, and is getting rather annoyed about it! I would be worried about him if he was on his own, but to be honest as he's here, it's not too bad. As long as it doesn't last for too much longer, we should be fine.

Nice excuse to have the fires going in the living room and dining room, though.

I like to leger a deadbait (I use either mackerel tails or smelts) on a paternoster rig. I had an eleven pounder last weekend using this setup, although the pike are currently quite slow and torpid as a result of the cold weather.

Here are some simple rigs to try.

http://www.pacgb.co.uk/tips/simplerigs.html

the temp went up today from minus 15 to minus 7. I already got my bikini on, its positively roasting here.

Because it doesn't. And here's part of the underlying problem: you say, "....When you know for a fact, that if we were having a mild winter, the believers would be claiming it as undeniable proof." That is not a known fact-actually, the believers are basing part of their belief on multi-year and global temperature averages, rather than regional or local weather.

I personally think the skeptics and deniers are really struggling to make valid points. Part of it is linguistics and what appears to be-on the part of many-a lack of understanding language coupled with multiple other dsyfunctions like logic, statistics, human psychology and other issues.

The issue for me is just how valid ARE the global temperature average measurements from year to year? And unfortunately, the hacked emails publicized recently undermined some of the scientific credibility of all climate researchers, leading to two questions: Number 1)-is the average measurement accurate enough over a long enough period of time to indicate a statistically significant variance from natural processes that cannot be explained by anything other than mankind's activities? Obviously, a very large contingent of scientists believe that it is and does indicate just that. The second question then becomes, have agenda-driven climate scientists "cooked the books" to show that variance?

The burden of proof falls on both sides of the argument; those who believe that AGW is occurring have to present enough evidence and make the data available-as well as the procedures used to arrive at the figures-to convince the majority of people that it is mankind's activities that are accelerating and driving the warming that is being reported. Those who do not believe in AGW have to produce evidence that will create reasonable doubt.

"The current cold spell" does not create reasonable doubt, and "the weather" in wherever has been brought up again and again and again and again ad nauseum in this forum and elsewhere, and the believers are frustrated with the proposition that local weather over the short term is a credible argument when it isn't to the point of being foolish, so people who bring it up in the way it is brought up so frequently brought up are often admonished.

The people who don't believe in AGW have to get their acts together, get hold of the temperature research and measurements that produce the global averages, and disprove those figures. That is the only way the non-believers are going to prove their point-everything else is just hearsay and political yakkity-yak, and that is why the anti-AGW crowd is losing the debate-they're following the right wing playbook and arguing about weather, Al Gore, the temperature on Mars and on and on instead of arming themselves with significant information and debating. That style of dialogue has recently failed in politics and I really don't see why anyone expects it to work in science.

Yep, I have a fine pair................................. that come to my garden every day. My neighbour even puts out his fat balls for them to peck on.!!

No, daffodils are very hardy plants, as are snowdrops.

You and me, a duvet (of the non-feathered variety), a warm bed...
What else could we ever want for?
Hee hee

Perhaps he should be wearing thermal long-johns! Yes, you're right though, he's been metaphorically 'caught with his trousers down' and he's more than embarrassed. Mind you though, with all the MPs focusing their minds on their expenses and global warming i suppose he's found it hard to think about cold weather and what it would do to our country and economy!