I’ve just been reading about the weather in the US, looks pretty horrendous. Hope the family can stay warm enough.
Yeah, the trees are “exploding “ all over the place, just seen a film on FB down in Brentwood where all the stars live, the avenues are covered in downed trees. It’s the thickness of the ice no one in that region has ever seen before. Think the family might consider a real fire eventually as they have acres of woodland to supply the fuel but the previous owner put in a poxy flame gas unit in the chimney that gives no heat at all, more for ambiance.
Yes, freezing rain can be very dangerous and I’ve only ever seen it once, in France where it brought down a few trees locally. The water content in the trees and sometimes the sap freezes and expands. On top of that the freezing rain forms on the trees increasing their weight enormously. The tree either snaps under the weight or explodes and then falls. It’s a very weird and spooky thing to see.
Edited to add, freezing rain requires some very specific atmospheric conditions with very warm moist air meeting very cold air. In the US, a polar vortex about -25 C is hitting warm moist air from Florida at about 30 C. The water in the air rapidly cools in the atmosphere below zero but doesn’t form ice. When it hits a surface it freezes instantly. This ends up coating everything in a thick layer of ice. When I saw this in France it was about 5 or 6 mm thick and coated all the trees, bushes, hedges, fences etc.
But of course Trump is again saying that global warming is a scam because it’s extra cold in America right now.
He is such an ignorant pillock. But I suppose expecting him to understand basic science (warmer planet = increased atmospheric moisture = more extreme weather activity) is too much to hope for.
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Scientists have thought for some time that global warming could slow the winter polar vortex, making it expand further south, and it’ll happen more frequently and further. It’s the ballerina effect in action
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@larkswood12 TF1 have just shown floods in Antibes, I hope you’re away from all that?
@shiba Better weather news, I saw that Font Romeu is having an amazing time atm, new snow every day and great skiing conditions. Good for them.
Currently the road is shut to Andorra as the big rocks fell onto the Yellow train line two weeks ago and a deviation takes an hour longer whilst they sort the mess out. My granddaughter’s godfather comes from the neighbouring village so his parents who live up there half the year and the other half down here are stuck for a bit. Les Angles where we go (I do not ski due to long term damage to a knee caused by dislocation and torn ligaments from years ago) but I enjoy walking about and having a typical mountain meal whilst watching my little daredevil hurtle down the slopes with his instructor.
Thanks for heads up, didn’t realise we are on the tele! It showed the old town floods. Our window shook with the thunder and the portside balcony has 2 inches of water - I’ll have to unplug the hole. And there’s snow, though the skiing may not be so great in town. Happy kids enjoyed a few snowballs.
The boats are resting in tranquility, unbothered by the floods. There’s a new one in town, the one with the great big blue windows.
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Snow in Antibes? That doesn’t happen often.
I hope things calm down.
The sun has come out! With snow in Antibes, I remember watching a French TV series screened in UK, it was called ‘The Reunion’, in France it was called ‘La Jeune fille et la nuit’, une adaptation du roman éponyme de Guillaume Musso.
The memorable thing being it was set in a school in Antibes, and the pupils were snowed in. I thought it very unlikely - none of it looked like Antibes, I shall have to try to rewatch it.
Looks more like La Place defrosted their freezers. 
Oh, I didn’t realise you’re in Antibes. Lucky you! Many years ago I used to work in Sophia Antipolis and lived near Mougins. Spent many happy days in Antibes.
Thanks! Yes, I remember a few of your mentions about the area, once in a discussion about property prices you listed some in Mougins, and in another you mentioned Plage de la Gravette. So I reckoned you lived around these parts. I will have to check out Sophia Antipolis one day, seems like plenty of work there (the top honchos have boats I guess). You are tech I think, IT sec?
Can I ask, what made you move away? Work? Sorry if too personal a question!
edit - just to say on your spending many happy days here, yes all of it from the Esterel through Cannes to Antibes and (skipping Villeneauve Loubet and ‘the cake’ as Madame calls it, and St Laurent) through to Beaulieu sur mer and the moyen and high Corniches - is’s all pretty magical…
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Sophia is a lovely place to work but there’s not much else there to warrant making the journey. Perhaps just drive through it on the way to somewhere else 
There’s a few reasons we moved away. Firstly, my ex-wife wanted to go back to the UK (even though she’s French!), secondly we thought it would be better for our son to be a native English speaker who also speaks French rather than the other way round, and lastly for professional reasons (faster progression than I could ever have had if we’d stayed in France). I think also we were too young to be able to afford to buy a house and my ex-wife was still a stay-at-home mum… but the UK offered us an opportunity to get on the property ladder.
It was almost 25 years ago that we left but I still have very fond memories of my time there and often wonder how life would’ve turned out if we had stayed.
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Thanks for that info Gareth, my france ex also preferred UK to her native France, wanted to get away - family, the conventions, English language etc - that’s where I met her, in London 30 odd years ago . Our joint Scottish / Francaise daughter was native English, just about hung on to her French language thanks to her mother, then refined with A-levels. As teachers in UK, we had the 6 week summer breaks to spend in France, I almost bought a hotel one year (!), but as you say, the money in IT audit (I moved profession) was good, getting better, and now I find myself comfortably retired, sufficient for Cote d’Azur. As per you, I always wonder what would have happened if I’d just taken the lease for that hotel… hey, life, it’s a bit like the weather! 
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Got offered a job there many years ago. Didn’t go for it but wish I had.
Les Tours de Fawlty?
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Battening down the hatches here, all schools shut tomorrow and all parks locked today for the 120kph storm due to hit late tonight along this coastline. Roads are going to be littered with branches again around here even though they have been trimmed recently and I keep my rear shutters down so the windows don’t get branches hitting them. Crédit Agricole just sent weather warning to my phone and Alexa is issuing updates every hour on the screen.
Take care Shiba. We have the same storm here tomorrow, very strong winds of up to 130kph. I’m sort of hoping that my dressing change appointment at the surgery might be moved but then I suppose they might not be able to catch up afterwards.
You too. Don’t go out unless it’s really necessary. I did my shopping this morning so I don’t need anything. Son and DIL and the kids are not at school tomorrow as all are shut including crèches.