Out like a lion


Over the past two days March has gone out like a roaring lion. Blizzards have swept Scotland, closing roads, railways and ferry services. Very tragically, a school student was killed in a coach accident at the start of what was to be a recreational Easter trip.

The back of my daughter's hoodie above should really be re-printed as 'We didn't get to Orkney Music Tour 2010'. The school baroque orchestra and chamber choir were due to leave on Tuesday evening, travelling north to Inverness by coach, staying the night in Inverness, then travelling on to Scrabster next day and taking the ferry to Kirkwall. The school decided to cancel the trip on Tuesday afternoon as the weather worsened. Huge disappointment - no concerts in Stromness and Kirwall, no sightseeing of Skara Brae, Scapa Flow, the Ring of Brodgar - but it was a wise decision. The road they would have travelled was blocked by snow in several places. The ferries were only just operating, with many services cancelled and no guarantee that they would be able to cross. And even if they did, the sea conditions were atrocious. Seas 'rough to very rough', winds of gale force 8 to severe gale 9.

In the centre of Edinburgh it was easy to have a false sense of security about the conditions. We had wet snow, with the usual city slush.


But the harbour wall was breached at Leith, and just a few miles outside Edinburgh roads were blocked and the main East Coast line blocked by a landslide. Yes, it was a pity the orchestra and choir missed their trip, but it wouldn't have been worth the risk.

Comments

  1. What a rough, and long, winter. I'm so sorry she didn't get to go on the trip. Those sorts of disappointments are so crummy when one is young.

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  2. What a stormy March you have had. I'm sorry that your daughter didn't get to go on her trip.

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  3. How disappointing for their trip, but glad to year everyone is safe!

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  4. My goodness, what a long strange winter you are having, too. That is too bad about the trip. Any chance it can be repeated in the future? You know, here in the states, when the weather does things like that, we like to say "Let's invite Al Gore here to see this!" Ha Ha!

    You are right, it could have been a wrench for me to move here from New Jersey, except it occurred at the same time that I got married, so there was more happiness going on inside me than shock. It took a long time to get used to Florida, but I am used to it now. Thanks for your comment.

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  5. you have really terrible weather conditions !!

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  6. Can they reschedule the tour?
    Hope the sun comes out soon.

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  7. so sad the trip didnt happen but by all accounts a wisw decision, I watched the reports here in Oz on tv, what a winter you have had.
    Just wish we can have a cold wet one here, but I know my joints wont like it!

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  8. I am happy to say that March went out like a lamb here after such a long snowy winter. It is so nice to have spring. Hope you won't have to wait long for some nice warm weather too.

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  9. Just to answer queries as to whether the tour can be rescheduled: probably not, since logistics and time are against it. Many of the students will have public exams over the next couple of months, and finding a clear 4 days when no-one has an exam or one coming up will be impossible. Then the last 3 weeks of school are taken up for the musicians with the big end-of-year musical theatre production. This year is 'Evita'. Hopefully there might be a residential somewhere nearer home where they'll still enjoy making music together.

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  10. It certainly was awful weather last week, we were lucky enough not to get snow but the wind was so bad I didn't risk going out. Sorry the trip was cancelled but after what happened to that other school trip I think it was a wise decision.

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