A web log, an æthereal scrap-book if you will, with a somewhat vintage flavour. News items, occurrences, experiences, thoughts and opinions related to Victoriana through to Fifties Americana can all be found here.
Apologies for the near-two weeks of radio silence - no sooner had I got over the last bout of sniffles when I got in the way of another cold late last week, this time a real humdinger (the perils of winter and an immune system taking a knock from other recent health matters!).
As I'm sure you can appreciate I'm therefore not feeling quite able to do this blog justice in my current state, so I'll leave you with this topical song as a filler and to let you know I haven't forgotten you all.
A few more days' worth of Lemsip and hot chocolate should have me feeling better and I hope before long to be back to full blogging strength! On the subject of cold & flu treatments (and as purely unsolicited testimonials!) two splendidly old-fashioned products have also stood me in good stead both now and many times before. Should you have the misfortune to find yourself with a heavy cold/cough, I heartily recommend Allens Pine & Honey Balsam (an acquired taste, but by God it works!) and Jakemans Menthol Sweets.
All being well I should be back with a couple of planned posts later in the week; in the meantime, take care out there - especially those of you suffering the late winter snows!
Last year when the snow came and caused travel chaos I recalled a 1920s solution to snow-covered roads - the Ford Model T snowmobile conversion.
This year when the snow came and caused travel chaos (d'you think there might be a pattern emerging here, Britain...?) I was once again reminded of this novel and effective vehicle - or rather this time its successor, the Model A snowmobile.
In the same way the the standard A improved upon the T, so the newer snowmobile conversion continued to be refined and updated. Companies such as Arps offered conversions like the "Snow Bird" (top) for the likes of farmers, rural doctors, the U.S. Mail and anyone else who frequently travelled through heavy snowfall.
As the Model A was not built in as large a number as the T, and as conversion kits remained expensive, there are actually fewer A snowmobiles left than there are Ts. If you look at the video clip in last year's post you'll notice only one or two As compared to a dozen or so Ts. Still, I'll bet the closed-cab A was slightly warmer than the open/convertible T!
Nevertheless provided one is wrapped up properly a Ford snowmobile is still for my money the best way to beat the snow. As the country is once again brought to a standstill I sit indoors looking out on a crisp white mantle and imagine zooming along in a "Snow Bird":
Sitting inside looking out on a vista of snow-covered cars and rooftops, watching news reports of cancelled trains and impassable motorways, I was suddenly reminded of my vehicle of choice that I would use to overcome these conditions - the Ford Model T Snowmobile!
Designed and sold by a New Hampshire Ford dealer in 1922, the Snowmobile could apparently travel over snow 2½ feet deep at a speed of about 18mph. Sounds like the perfect machine for this weather, doesn't it? Just imagine sailing past everyone on the M5 in one of these!
The conversion kit (donor cars were standard Ts) was expensive, though - almost as much as the car itself! Still it was popular with country doctors, utility companies, public services and anyone who lived in areas subject to heavy snowfall. Over 3,000 were built between 1922 and 1929 and many still survive today.
Thankfully I don't need to go out today so I can stay in, cosy and warm, and marvel at these historic solutions to problems that continue to trouble us even now. If it's still like this when I have to go out, I'll wish I had a Model T Snowmobile waiting in the car park!
When I awoke this morning and pulled back the curtains this was the sight that met me. It was snowing heavily! It's eased up a bit now, bar the occasional flurry, but several hours of thick flakes falling has left about 2 inches on the ground. Lovely!
I still haven't grown up enough not to love snow(!). Not driving probably helps me keep that outlook (cars crawling along at little over walking pace through the sludge does not look like fun, I agree) and I also have a natural imperviousness to the cold so actually enjoy this kind of weather - it's the heat I can't deal with!
So out for a walk in the snow I went and, just like I mentioned with fog, it makes everything take on a whole new appearance. People out and about, even the older generations, seem happier as though the change of atmosphere and winter wonderland look lifts the spirits somehow. People were laughing and joking and making the best of it - no complaints or concerns like the media would have you believe.
One thing I really like about walking in the snow - footprints! There's something about leaving a mark of your progress - a really tangible, fun aspect of snow. I find all the different imprints fascinating; one can tell a lot from them - large men's shoes, small women's shoes (even heels!), heavy intricate treads of the thick boot or the smooth flatness of the unprepared and their trainers. I particularly enjoy seeing the various routes people take - who keeps to the path, who strays from the route taken by others - and also like to try and spot my own boot-prints from my outward journey as I make my way back.
Not sure for how long we're forecast snow in this neck of the woods, but as long as it doesn't get so bad that we end up properly snowed in, I don't mind it! Is it too early to predict a white Christmas?!
I love fog, it makes everything appear so different and other-worldly. Buildings become indistinct shapes and dark figures appear out of the gloom as if by magic, only to be swallowed up again just as quickly. Streetlamps take on a spectral glow as they light up the fog beneath them and headlights are dulled almost to the point of invisibility as cars crawl along the road. It's probably more fun being snug and warm inside looking out on it than it is to be in it, although I admit I do enjoy a good autumnal walk, wrapped up nice and warm, even in a fog.
Rumour has it that some of us might even be in for some snow next week! I seem to be in the minority, but I love autumn/winter and this kind of weather so if it does snow, I shan't complain!
The perils of parking a delta-winged aeroplane outside in the snow are made apparent in this amusing little piece. It serves as an interesting reminder as to just how heavy snow can be in large quantities, that there was enough of it to cause this 83,500lb bomber to tilt upwards. With luck this particular example will have sustained no lasting damage; the real danger, as mentioned, is when the snow melts and it returns to its normal position. They look to have it well in hand, though, and I'm sure everything is tickety-boo now.
A fantastic aircraft, the Vulcan, and I was lucky enough to see one flying as a child (there is now only one airworthy example - XH558 - probably the same one I saw all those years ago, as it was the sole flying display aircraft until 1993. Mothballed after this date, it only returned to the skies in 2007 courtesy of the Vulcan To The Sky Trust). My abiding memories of it were the way it seemed to block out the sky and the almighty noise it made! I can still remember my chest seemingly vibrating as it flew over us. An iconic machine.
This just about made my day, I can tell you, and is my favourite story of the year so far without doubt. In a week that has seen modern transport seriously disrupted by heavy snow (which, contrary to what the TV and papers may tell you, we have most certainly experienced before without all this fuss) a piece of sixty-year-old technology is able to cope perfectly well while more modern, supposedly "superior" locomotives are stymied. That a group of passengers, who might have otherwise been stranded at Christmas in a cold railway station far from home, were rescued and given a taste of railway travel as it should be is just a superb bonus.
