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Post by jolovespiggies on Jan 22, 2016 19:35:40 GMT
Having lived in the Midlands for some time I cannot get used to these snow/frost free days. There was a heavy frost the other day apparently but I didn't see it but it was gone in a matter of hours so the roads were safe again, safe as usual I mean. Everyone else is talking of heavy frost and snow which is settling and here we are, in what is a summer temperature by comparison. You watch that step Piggles love or you will be landing no nether regions. You are right Shades love, I don't go out much now but when I did, I always had my brolley. We tend to drive everywhere too Piggles, I think most of us do now who have cars and it doesn't help with the fitness situation. Please keep us updated with regard to your birdies and squirrels Bean love. We do not have a garden as such but could something out there for them only we live in a neighbourhood with 101 cats, including our own.
Hugs JO xx
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Post by Bean on Jan 23, 2016 9:46:35 GMT
I'm not a brolly carrier - I prefer a hat or a hood rather than holding something up (especially as I'm often holding bags!). Mostly that's fine, but when it's torrential you can't really escape from it!
We're in for a dry, clear day today which is good as I'll be out and about later.
Hope you got a bit more snow, Shades!
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Post by jolovespiggies on Jan 23, 2016 22:12:33 GMT
I had a lovely brolly which had a frill like a parasol.
Hugs JO xx
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Post by shades on Jan 24, 2016 4:31:35 GMT
Last night there was a review of European athletics in 2015 on TV. It was showing highlights from around many European cities. Usually dry, warm evening events. Then it came to London in July - torrential rain, haha!
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Post by 3piggles on Jan 24, 2016 18:49:24 GMT
There are some great umbrellas that practically come down to the waist, and keep out most of the blowing rain. As you said, though, Bean, not much use if you're carrying bags. We also have mostly large stores in malls with parking lots that are at least a two-lane road away from the door, and usually further. We use shopping carts ( I think they're called trolleys in the UK), so everything is going to get soaked getting through the parking lot, including us. If we only have a few lite bags, we might be able to make a dash for it, or younger people might be able to, but generally the parking lot is full of soggy people and bags. Even our old town centers and local shops no longer have enough on-street parking to accommodate all the cars, so they have parking lots off in the back. Not even a good shopping cart chance to get all the packages to the car. We don't have much walkable shopping, unless we live right downtown, which few people do. Also, umbrellas are a give away for a lot of causes and organizations. Donate $X and get an umbrella with the organizations name and logo. Some people even donate to causes and orgs. just to get the umbrellas, which they collect
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Post by jolovespiggies on Jan 24, 2016 19:58:01 GMT
Apart from my parasol brolly mine were always automatic so if you had your hands full, you could still put your broll up. Yes love, some organisations do give them away with promotions.
Hugs JO xx
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Post by shades on Jan 25, 2016 1:51:45 GMT
On 25th January Scottish people around the globe will be celebrating the birthday of national writer Robert Burns with drams of whisky, traditional suppers and recitals of his poetry.
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Post by shades on Jan 25, 2016 1:55:36 GMT
3piggles do the shopping malls not have underground parking? Here it's the norm for new shopping malls. Surface parking is less common.
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Post by 3piggles on Jan 25, 2016 14:17:25 GMT
No, Shades, all outdoor parking, though some big malls have parking garages, which are high rise parking structures making the most of the surface space. We have a lot of surface space, so that's not really an issue for us. Most malls or large stores have parking for several thousand vehicles in open parking areas across what is basically a road from the store. Add in the cement apron in front of the store, and the islands separating the parking areas from the road, and it's more like the distance of 1.5-2 roads between the first parking space and the door. Once inside, there are entries to most stores, so we don't let in a lot of hot or cold air, and of course, few people actually get to park in the very first parking space. Parking and walking to or from the store can easily be 1/4 mile each way, plus all the walking in the store/mall. That's why I have trouble shopping in a lot of the stores. I can do the walking to and in, but if I have to stand in a long line to pay for my purchases, I can't make the walk back to the car, or into my house. They are not designed for people with mobility issues, especially if we can't get a permit to park in the handicapped parking spaces closest to the door. I generally have to wait for my husband to drive me, let me off at the door, then come back and get me after we shop. This is a fairly typical set up for a mall or large store (Walmart) in my area, although there would be parking on all sides. I don't know if this link will work, but it shows some aerial photos of a mall near me. There is a whole neighborhood of houses in kind of a horseshoe with little extensions, that isn't as big as the mall. All of the area with uniform lines is parking. www.google.com/maps/place/Merrimack+Premium+Outlets/@42.825894,-71.496391,1086m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0xb2a18255e59be011!6m1!1e1
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Post by Bean on Jan 25, 2016 20:17:18 GMT
The shopping centres we have in city centres often have underground or multi storey parking attached. It's the out of town ones that have large outdoor car parks and some of them can leave you quite a walk from the shops. Okay if you have a blue badge to give you priority car parking, but if you don't qualify but still have trouble walking longer distances, it can be tricky.
Something I always notice on US tv, and also American friends comment on, is the difference in size of typical parking spaces - we tend to cram cars in as close as possible so most parking spaces are quite tight, especially in city centres. Not so many people have the big gas guzzling cars, but they don't fit in our spaces with room to open the doors after - they take up two spaces (don't think they have to pay double parking though!). I wish ours gave us more room, no more back and forth to squeeze into a space if others haven't parked right!
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Post by jolovespiggies on Jan 25, 2016 20:41:28 GMT
We have underground parking here Shades love and when I used to shop on my own I never felt safe. There were several incidents of women being attacked in them. It is so gloriously roomy where you are Piggles love, we are so tiny by comparison. Parking spaces are small here Bean hun, and parking is/was not my forte. I used to try and find a space which was vacant either side so I could park up and we you know these car parks tend to be very full most of the time. We had a BMW for a long time which I found easier to park than I do the Focus we have now. I have been out in it as a driver once and was not that impressed to be honest even though it has every gadget you can think of. It is a motability car so I shouldn't complain. Focus is good fuel wise, not being a guzzler I am glad to say.
Hugs JO xx
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Post by 3piggles on Jan 26, 2016 14:19:20 GMT
When gas first started getting really expensive, in the 70s, some businesses created small car parking spaces, which were much smaller than the regular parking spaces. Those spaces were much closer to the entrances, so were prime parking spots. It was part of a national movement to encourage people to buy subcompact cars, buy giving them preferred parking. I had a Chevette, so I got to park in the preferred parking, back when I was healthy enough to hoof it from the other end of the parking lot. Now, many people have a subcompact car, so no more perferred mini spaces. Our parking spaces are regulation size, as they have to fit everything from the contractors(builders) truck to the plumbers van to the family minivan/SUV all the way down to the Smart Cars. Again, the preferred subcompact car parking was challenged in court and found to be unfair, and was discontinued. Instead, some parking spaces are the minimum size allowed, which would exclude trucks, SUVs and minivans. Interesting facts on Wiki: US parking spaces: 7.5-7.9' x 16-20' The longer spaces are required in lots where the driving lanes are not obviously separated from the parking areas. UK parking spaces: 7.9x16' France: 7.2-7.5' no depth listed en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parking_space#Marks_and_space_sizeWe constantly complain about no space to open our car doors, but that's as much because of people who don't center their vehicles in the spaces, as it is about the size of the space. Still, the parking can be really insufficient for large vehicles, who bang the surrounding vehicles with their doors, leaving marks and dents in the other vehicles. Obviously, businesses want to cram in as many spaces as possible, so they wouldn't be happy about having to redo all of their space lines to create bigger/fewer spaces. Also, since most of our parking lots are big enough to need barriers dividing the areas, I'm not sure a new space size would fit equally within those barriers. There are smaller space allowances for totally marked spaces, which means no open to the driving area. The problem I see with that is who stops the oversized vehicles from taking up more than one space, or just over extending the space into the driving lane? We don't have parking lot monitors in most places. Maybe that becomes the job of the private security that patrols the lots, or the meter readers who patrol the inner city lots. There is mention of women's spaces in some countries, not the US, that allowed women to park closer to the lighted, heavily traveled areas, for their safety. Nice idea, but again, who patrols the space use, and what is the penalty for abusing the designated spaces? As for who owns what type of vehicle, there's nothing stopping us from buying a pick up truck with dual rear wheels, a club cab the size of a regular car interior, and a full(8' bed). When we registered it, it would cost a lot more than a regular vehicle, but some people buy them because they are built like tanks, and people feel safer in the event of an accident. They also get about 15 miles to the gallon on a good day, so they are much more expensive to drive. Having those vehicles parked in the regular parking spaces is a pain, as they stick out into the driving lanes, overhang enclosed spaces, etc. I remember one taking up three parallel spaces on a city street where I needed to park, and I was not happy about it. The driver didn't want anyone parking him in, so he couldn't get out of the space. I guess, as long as he put money in all three meters, he got to stay. Not good where parking is very limited. Also, since it snows here, we have a lot of 4x4 vehicles, which tend to be bigger than regular vehicles. I'm pleased to see that Subaru has taken the lead in sales, with its all wheel drive vehicles that are regular sized, so maybe Americans are finally considering the alternatives to big 4x4s.
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Post by Bean on Jan 26, 2016 16:42:15 GMT
Ha! That may be our recommended car park space here, but it definitely doesn't happen a lot in practise. I'm going to take my tape measure next time we go in to town as the spaces there are ridiculous (even when people have parked well around you) and I'm curious to know how far off that they are on both counts. We don't have an especially wide car, and we're all pretty slim, but everyone besides the driver usually has to get out before we slip into the space to avoid pranging doors when you open them to get out!
I bet you'll all be on the edges of your seats to find out the measurements!
Fancy having to put money in three meters to park your car! As you say, in areas where spaces are limited, it must be annoying that one person uses up so much valuable space.
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Post by jolovespiggies on Jan 26, 2016 21:33:50 GMT
Sometimes I wonder if the ones we try and park in have the right amount of space allotted to them. Getting out of the car is certainly a tight squeeze even for one as lithe as I LOL!!
Hugs JO xx
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Post by 3piggles on Jan 27, 2016 13:48:41 GMT
When you're trying to squeeze into a space, check how those on each side of you are parked. We have a Prius, so an average sized car for general driving (not people with work trucks or vans, large SUVs, etc.), and if everyone parks in the middle of the space, we all have room to open our doors without banging into each other. It only takes one who parks to one side of the space, and there's no more room on that side. Get two who do it, and the space in the middle is only big enough for a motorcycle. Hubby will park further from the door just to get a space that's not hemmed in on both sides by idiots who can't park right. Actually, I am curious about the actual size of the parking spaces. If they're less than the size in Wiki, check with your local council about required sizes. Maybe there's a nationally approved size, as well as local council approved sizes. Not here, but you have different ways of doing things sometimes. Temps got up to 49F yesterday, about 9.5C, and are expected to be even warmer a few other days in the next 10 days. Could get up to the low/mid 50s/12C? This is wild for January in our area. Also, the next major storm is going to bring all rain, which means whatever snow we have left will dissolve. Places that rarely get snow got bombed by Superstorm Jonas, which I understand is now dumping endless amounts of rain on the UK, pretty much where all the flooding has already damaged so much property. I know this is purely the difference between the last few years being La Nina years, and this being an El Nino year, but the difference is so radical. No bitterly cold polar vortex periods. We're hardly using any heat compared to a typical winter. Even hubby has had trouble sleeping the last couple of nights, because it's been too hot and humid. We're not ready for spring quite yet Geeze, I hope this doesn't mean a really hot spring and summer! Heat is not my friend! It is very overcast, so the lights have been on most of the day. We've noticed a major drop in our electric bill since we changed over to LED bulbs. Hubby built a feeder for the balcony. It's just an open feeder for the squirrels and ground feeders, and I put peanuts in it. I've noticed the squirrels and jays use the feeder, as they were always interested in the peanuts, but the Titmouse are also taking the peanuts. I hadn't realized they, half the size of the jays, were also eating the peanuts. We're only allowed two feeders per unit, and we already have two hanging under the balcony, so the point to this one was to be able to hide it so anyone walking by outside wouldn't be able to see it. It's working great
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Post by jolovespiggies on Jan 27, 2016 19:54:01 GMT
I have had many a door banged and scratched by uncaring drivers Piggles love which makes me really annoyed as I am always so careful myself. It helps these days if I am in the car because I qualify for the Blue Badge Disability Card so I am able to park in the Disabled Spaces which are always roomier. Of course if Paul is on his own, he has to park in the ordinary spaces.
We have had a really nasty storm which is supposed to have started with yu Piggles love, it was so mean and miserable. Today is better but not that much and I think it is a lot colder. Heat is not my friend either love so everything crossed here for you too.
Please keep us posted with regard to the feeder, and the visitors you get coming for a munch.
Hugs Jo xx
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Post by 3piggles on Jan 28, 2016 14:15:25 GMT
I got a Facebook message from our former member, Yodelpig, thanking me for sending her Superstorm Jonas, lol Sorry, UK, I know you would probably have preferred the snow than the rain you finally got, and apparently Jonas kept its strength, just warmed up enough to dump torrential rains on you. She said the parts of the UK already hardest hit by flooding were really hit hard, again I actually feel guilty, being in the part of the US that gets every blizzard, that it missed us completely. No snow or rain from Superstorm Jonas for us, while everyone else got bombed with snow or rain. In fact, with temps way above freezing, and the only storm in the forecast is a rain storm, we'll be lucky to even have any snow by the end of next week.
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Post by jolovespiggies on Jan 28, 2016 20:50:43 GMT
The day before yesterday was really bad love, I have rarely seen winds like them. Now it is just miserable and wet but it is January. Don't feel guilty love, I am just glad that you were affected and nice and safe. Ha ha, how is Yodelpig?
Hugs JO xx
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Post by Bean on Jan 29, 2016 10:18:29 GMT
Not much rain here still but it is so windy. I was walking up the hill this morning and one gust actually stopped me in my tracks, I just couldn't walk against it!
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Post by shades on Jan 29, 2016 14:20:43 GMT
Read this in The Globe and Mail. Don't ask how I got there. It's not my normal read. I love how it gives the mileage from London.
No pyjamas, no slippers: British principal imposes dress code – on parents
The principal of a primary school in northern England wants to impose a dress code – not on students, but on their parents.
That’s because she’s tired of them wearing pyjamas and slippers when they drop off their offspring at the school gates each morning.
Kate Chisholm of Skerne Park Academy in Darlington, 240 miles (385 kilometres) north of London said she acted after some parents wore what she considered nightwear to school meetings.
In the letter published Tuesday she asked parents to “dress appropriately in day wear” when bringing their children to school.
Chisholm said she wanted parents to set a good example for the students and that it was “not too much to ask parents to have a wash and get dressed.”
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