Arran Snowed In

[Sundae]

Mr & Mrs Limey are seriously snowed in.
No power since Friday I think (possibly Thursday.)
They have a Calor Gas camping stove, an open fire and a coal-burning stove, but are basically confined to one room, cold and miserable.

Limey, being the amazeballs person she is, was also looking after the OAPs next door. They were picked up by ambulance today, to take them somewhere warm where they could be assured of taking their medication at the right time..

Arran is national news here. Which is why I wanted to let you know how cut off they are, rather than burying it in a thread about me, me, me.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Sounds unpleasant, but disaster sex is fantastic.

[Sundae]

Tell that to the two male cats!

[zippyt]

Oh that sucks !!!

[Big Sarge]

Any idea when the weather will clear??

[DanaC]

Snow drifts are amazing over here too. We had a blizzard pretty much non stop for two days. Crazy strong winds, so one part of the lane would be scoured to a glass finish by the wind and then the rest of the lane under a gigantic snow dune. at night, when it's quiet and lit by the streetlights, it looks like some strange saharan landscape.

On the way down to mum's earlier, people were digging chanels out to the clear side of the road for their cars. The mountain of snow piled up in the middle dissecting the road. Everywhere you look there are huge mounds of the stuff.

I ran out of Carrot food this morning. Saw it coming from a couple of days ago, when the snow hit and the village was cut off. He's been on chicken broth today :P

Oh, and I have juuuuust about enough milk for a cuppa before bed, because the shop was out of milk and out of powdered milk too. I did manage to get some coffeemate for morning.

I just hope the buses and trains are running tomorrow. have to be at uni for 10am. It's almost two hours at the best of times. And if the lane is as bad in the morning as it is right now taxis won;t want to come up there, so it's a walk to the main road for a bus, then a walk from the bus station across town to the train station.

I'm hopeful. The main roads usually stay pretty workable, it's the connecting streets that cause the problems.

[eta] by 'main road' I don't mean the high street, but the roads linking towns.

[Aliantha]

We just saw Arran on the news here! Amazing shots of the snow. It looks like it's covering some houses completely! Is that true, and if it is, would it then follow that it would insulate the house somewhat if there were some way to heat it in the first place?

[glatt]

Screen grab from a BBC video

[orthodoc]

I hope Mr & Mrs Limey have some good blankets or sleeping bags to cuddle in close to the fire. And enough food to last until the roads are cleared ... and if all else fails, what Bruce said.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Scottish and South Energy (SSE) said it expected to return power to the majority of homes on Arran by the end of Sunday, although local damage and access issues may mean customers in more rural areas will still be without power overnight.

Kinloch Hotel is among several heated rest centres set up across the island and has acted as an emergency surgery for the local doctor as well as power company employees attempting to restore the electricity supplies

The local grocery store at Blackwaterfoot was almost now empty, but the hotel manager said a rescue helicopter had delivered supplies three times during Saturday alone.

"But every single electric pole in the village has been flattened and we are running out of diesel for the generator having already borrowed from local farmers," said Mr Hendry.

In addition to mobile generators already ferried to the island, five more were ordered and five mobile catering units were organised on Arran and three in Kintyre.

Neil Young, a fireman at Lamlash on Arran, said about 100 people a day had been taking advantage of his fire station's offer of hot refreshments and shower facilities.

It sounds like they've got the whole damn empire in high gear to take care of Kintyre and Arran, so the Limeys will be OK.

[Sundae]

Well, not really. The Limys do not loive in a village, the "village" on their address comprises approx 5 houses.

If it was a matter of life or death they could make it to Blackwaterfoot with a shovel and a couple of hours to spare; it's 9 miles and the roads will be damned near impassable.

I just hope their gas holds out. They have two full freezers to make their way through - Limey admitted she was considering putting everything out in the snow and just turning them off. That would make the cats happy, I happen to know there is some yummy chicken in there...

[limey]

Hello!
we've had no power since Friday 8am. Have a coal stove and two-ring calor gas burner. Lots of blankets and cats on the bed. We have the phone (landline) but no innernets, no mobile signal (never have that anyway).
Am in a borrowed office in Brodick today trying to get a little work done.
All food in the freezer is now basically at "eat or waste-it" stage.
The road past the house looks like this:

[Sundae]

Welcome back, you beauty!
So glad to hear you're all okay.

Now go do some work and stop playing in the Cellar.

[limey]

One last picture!
The view from our front door on Saturday morning!

[Sundae]

You know how I told you and Mr Limey (and the rest of the Cellar as it happens) that I wished I was snowed ib with you?
Changed my mind. Loks too damned chilly. I forget I feel the could now when I'm immobile.

Much love to you all x