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I'm just sitting here and are waiting for the -supposedly- big snow-storm, which shall come over Northwest-Germany, where I live in exactly one hour. The whole day there was nearly a hysteria in Germany, even with breaking news, etc. Let's see, what will happen. But I'm very relaxed. We have bought everything and this weekend we don't have to go anywhere - and next week I'll have vactions (go get rid of old days from last year).
Now (23:05) nothing happens, no snow, no wind.
I think, this story is blown up a bit. We had several winter-days over here, ad it was quite cold, too. So around the 19./20.December we had -17 to -18 degrees. In Bavaria it was colder. Last year we had also a quite long and cold winter, compared with the years before. For over 6 weeks it was always colder than 0 degrees. This is quite extreme here, close to the river Rhine and the Netherlands. We had several winters, where there was no snow at all, sometimes maximum 5 centimeters.
But I'm a bit distrustful about annother thing - that the electricity could collapsing. Yes, the big energy-companies are saying, that Germany had the best and reliable electricity-system of Europe, etc... - but 4 years ago there was a real scandal, when several dozens of high-voltage-pylons were collapsed due deep temperatures and heavy snow. It happend to old pylons from the 50ies, made from bad steel. The big oligopolistic energy-companies are making billions of profits -every year!- but it's not enough for good pylons. This is a real problem over here.
No kidding, today I've loaded up all our-accu-items, like mobile-phones and my shaver. And I've looked, that there is enough fire-wood. O.k., we just have a single fire-place, not enough for the big house, but a little bit is better than nothing.
But we had been lucky, when this drama happend - the "dead zone" started just two villages north of us, just 10 km away. And I personally had annother real fortune: one of these collapsing voltage-pylons fell on the Autobahn nearby, the A31. The people there have stucked in their cars for 18 hours, because noone was able to clear off the road. And just 24 hours before, I drove this highway, without a winter-coat and with a 95% empty tank, just for a short trip to Winterswijk, the next village in Holland, for filling up the cheaper Dutch Diesel. What a horrible imagination, to stuck a freezing night in the snow, just because the stupid idea for saving 6 or 7 Euro with the cheaper Diesel. :wow:
I grew up in the flat, mountain-less Northern Germany and noone of my family had interests in wintersports, so I'm not common with the winter-situations in the Alps and even medium hills. No, I cannot handle with snow-chains on cars. And for many years -and cars- I never had winter-tires. But this had helped to get driving-experience, to handle a car with worn out summer-tires in the snow.
I have childhood-memories of the winter 1978/79, which was the extremst in Norther Germany ever. More than 1 to 1,5 meter of snow, this happens in the Alps every wintr, but never in Northern Germany. This was a paradise for me. We had built snow-igloos on car-park behind the house.
O.k., I was 8 years ol then, and my school was on the other side of the street, so real a paradise time for me.
I had no problems, if it would happen again - I have a home-office. But my wife would have problems, she had to drive 65 km one was to work (me, too, until last March). But the last winter I could enjoy at home for annother reason: In January I felt on the steps in front of my mother-in-laws' house and have broken my hand and got a havy smashed back. So 6 weeks I've stayed at home - before I had the home office.
Let's wait, what this night will bring. Perhaps tomorry I'll have time enough for strolling around the www, because we cannot leave the house.
P.S. One thing makes me loving ugly winter-weather: the faboulous, georgeous Eberspächer-extra-heating, my Omega has. Never scratching the windows, just pressing a knob (or programming the time before). From all around you hear the "crotch-crotch" of the ice-scratching neighbours, in front of my house there is just a lovely "whoooo", which releases my car - and give me a warm butt, when I enter it.
Now (23:05) nothing happens, no snow, no wind.
I think, this story is blown up a bit. We had several winter-days over here, ad it was quite cold, too. So around the 19./20.December we had -17 to -18 degrees. In Bavaria it was colder. Last year we had also a quite long and cold winter, compared with the years before. For over 6 weeks it was always colder than 0 degrees. This is quite extreme here, close to the river Rhine and the Netherlands. We had several winters, where there was no snow at all, sometimes maximum 5 centimeters.
But I'm a bit distrustful about annother thing - that the electricity could collapsing. Yes, the big energy-companies are saying, that Germany had the best and reliable electricity-system of Europe, etc... - but 4 years ago there was a real scandal, when several dozens of high-voltage-pylons were collapsed due deep temperatures and heavy snow. It happend to old pylons from the 50ies, made from bad steel. The big oligopolistic energy-companies are making billions of profits -every year!- but it's not enough for good pylons. This is a real problem over here.
No kidding, today I've loaded up all our-accu-items, like mobile-phones and my shaver. And I've looked, that there is enough fire-wood. O.k., we just have a single fire-place, not enough for the big house, but a little bit is better than nothing.
But we had been lucky, when this drama happend - the "dead zone" started just two villages north of us, just 10 km away. And I personally had annother real fortune: one of these collapsing voltage-pylons fell on the Autobahn nearby, the A31. The people there have stucked in their cars for 18 hours, because noone was able to clear off the road. And just 24 hours before, I drove this highway, without a winter-coat and with a 95% empty tank, just for a short trip to Winterswijk, the next village in Holland, for filling up the cheaper Dutch Diesel. What a horrible imagination, to stuck a freezing night in the snow, just because the stupid idea for saving 6 or 7 Euro with the cheaper Diesel. :wow:
I grew up in the flat, mountain-less Northern Germany and noone of my family had interests in wintersports, so I'm not common with the winter-situations in the Alps and even medium hills. No, I cannot handle with snow-chains on cars. And for many years -and cars- I never had winter-tires. But this had helped to get driving-experience, to handle a car with worn out summer-tires in the snow.
I have childhood-memories of the winter 1978/79, which was the extremst in Norther Germany ever. More than 1 to 1,5 meter of snow, this happens in the Alps every wintr, but never in Northern Germany. This was a paradise for me. We had built snow-igloos on car-park behind the house.
O.k., I was 8 years ol then, and my school was on the other side of the street, so real a paradise time for me.
I had no problems, if it would happen again - I have a home-office. But my wife would have problems, she had to drive 65 km one was to work (me, too, until last March). But the last winter I could enjoy at home for annother reason: In January I felt on the steps in front of my mother-in-laws' house and have broken my hand and got a havy smashed back. So 6 weeks I've stayed at home - before I had the home office.
Let's wait, what this night will bring. Perhaps tomorry I'll have time enough for strolling around the www, because we cannot leave the house.
P.S. One thing makes me loving ugly winter-weather: the faboulous, georgeous Eberspächer-extra-heating, my Omega has. Never scratching the windows, just pressing a knob (or programming the time before). From all around you hear the "crotch-crotch" of the ice-scratching neighbours, in front of my house there is just a lovely "whoooo", which releases my car - and give me a warm butt, when I enter it.