Winter wonderland
Monday 2nd February 2009, 9:05AM GMT.
GUERNSEY awoke to snowy scenes this morning after an estimated four inches fell during the night across the island.
The state schools were closed this morning and police warned drivers to stay off the roads unless their journey was essential.
This selection of snowy pictures will be added to during the day.
We have created a second gallery of snowy scenes and you can view them by clicking here.
If you have any photos you would like to send us for publication either here or possibly in the Guernsey Press, please email them to editorial@thisisguernsey.com.
Snowman at Braye Road, Vale. (Picture by Tom Tardif)
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So Carole Steere has got her way after all, with St Andrews Primary and St Sampsons Infants both closed! :-)
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Cor damme me, I am an ex Guern living in South Australia where we have had temperatures over 40 degrees C for a week. Stone the crows your pictures take me back to 1947 when my brother and I rode our sledges (tobogans) down the hill at the Doyle L’Ancresse where we lived. Wish we were there at the moment. Excellent photos, thanks for the memories.
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Loving the snow and all the pictures but once again a splattering of snow and the whole island grinds to halt!! In work at Specsavers and its like a ghost town, I think that peoples legs stop working when it snows!!!
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No such apathy here in Sark. We’re all busy beavers and working away as normal despite the winter wonderland.
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Great photo Jess. love your new horse. wish you all the best for this year!
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Loving the photos and wishing it was ground to a hault here, like the rock. I would have to work at the last school to close in Birmingham….2oclock!
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beautiful photographs it reminds me of when iworked for the electricity board back in the sixtys and seventys trying to get around in a mini van going to people with no power
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Guernsey man in Canada, brings backs lots of nice memories, from my youth there. However, even I the biggest fan of snow ever, did get a little plussed at having to clear 75cm of snow from my drive way this christmas!
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Fantastic photographs and as regular visitors we would have loved to have been there with you to see the snow first hand. But no photographs of the coastal path ? Regards from West Sussex.
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looking out my window onto a main road into town, i have been pleasantly surprised by the number of people walking to work. i have also heard of many people sharing cars to get to work today. Funny how people can actually manage quite well without their cars when given no choice!
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We thought we would have the same experience in Jersey but nop! However ddi experience a few flake for the whole day, of course not enough to build a snowman.
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It does this everytime im away!! Last time there was snow on New Years Eve I was in Australia and Im here again and what a suprise its snowing! Last time I saw decent snow it was about 13years ago in Guernsey. So unfair!!!
Im back in 3 weeks so can somone save me some in the freezer??
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I am ex-Guernsey and living in Perth Western Australia. We are having very hot & humid weather so it was nice to see the wonderfull snow scenes.
Thank you everyone who has taken the trouble to snap these snow scenes. It is lovely to see them.
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Actually it was 18years since I last saw decent snow in Guernsey! I was 7 and remember it was up to my waist! Now im missing it! Gutted
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Guernsey girl living in the Gulf where the winter temperature today is 27 degrees – loving the memories. Remember skiing down Petit Bot valley back in the 80s….long walk back up though! Good to know people are protecting their livelihoods in these difficult times by actually getting off their backsides and walking to work. It’s only a couple of miles right.
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I was so glad to hear that they are keeping both St Sampsons and St Andrews School open. Both my children go to Vale Infants and it would have just been a complete nightmare if the St Sampsons lot had come to Vale, the parking is bad enough and the class rooms already have 23 plus children in. Best news ever
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It was lovely to see so many people walking to work, although yesterday morning I was very unimpressed with those still determined to commute in their cars despite police warnings. People should realise that it is not only themselves/their vehicles at risk, but those who have heeded warnings and made their journeys by foot. I was (sensibly) walking to work with my young children and was very concerned at the cars navigating slippery roads – serious injuries can be caused to pedestrians even in normal driving conditions and a toddler is no match for a 4×4 that the police helpfully suggested was the “safe” way to travel. Safe for the occupants, maybe – not for pedestrians!
Anyway, lots of people walked through the snow to go to work and it didn’t result in any major upset. People should try it more often – and the walk would be a lot easier when it is not snowing.
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Am I the only one saddened by most employers business as usual attitude to this.
Heck it snowed on Guernsey, it should hve been declared a public holiday :)
At least then parents could have had the chance to have some fun with their families, but people were expected to make it in and work as usual. (I sent my guys home).
After all, one day every 10-20 years cant hurt can it??
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BB – you are just upset cos u live over the hedge from Specsavers!!!
If u lived further away you would have loved the walk in – the fact that you didnt get ‘that affected’ has rared you up!!
Let people have their fun – its not often we get to enjoy snow!!
Even Victor Meldrew would have more fun!!
Jealousy is not a nice trait!!
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Danish&English ex-pats living on a Caribbean island in +34 and loving it, but we are quite looking forward to visiting family and friends on Guernsey this coming June!We do actually miss snowy winters!
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I walked to work in town from Vazon and then walked home again in the evening. It was definitely the right thing to do and the camaraderie amongst the pedestrians was great. However, on the way home last evening the pavements were very, very slippery and I felt that I would have been safer cycling or driving home (had I had my bike or car in town. The main roads were clear of ice and snow, but the pavements were lethal for the majority of the journey back to Vazon and I was very relieved to arrive home in one piece. As a result of that experience and hearing on the radio that the roads and pavements were very icy this morning, I did not attempt to go into work first thing and waited for conditions to improve, before driving in. I am surprised that pavements in town do not appear to have been treated in any way.
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“Am I the only one saddened by most employers business as usual attitude to this.”
I think you are part of the problem. Employers don’t owe you a living, irrespective of what you might be told by regulation, litigation and the West’s bone idleness.
And you wonder why Total are bringing in Italians, or, on a local level, the catering trade brings in foreign workers. Pah! :)
Within a year, you may be glad you have a job at all – look around you.
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PS, great photos :)
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Alan Marriette – what a small world !! I’m an ex-pat too and live in Italy. I saw your name and thought it looked familiar – so I phoned my good old mum in Guernsey and she wanted to know what you’d said :) She’s a friend of yours and Jackies. So heres a hello from Pat. (from Guernsey via Italy ) By the way – you should put yourself on the ex-pats map, you’ll find it in the community section.
We’ve had SO much snow in Italy this year – its been incredible. Total and utter chaos. The snow we had 4 weeks ago still hasnt melted – its a pain when it ices over and driving becomes really dangerous. Oh well – such is life :)
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Jackie
Thank you for your character assessment based on one line (an assessment which is completely incorrect btw).
If you had read the rest of my post I am an employer (er, not ee), and therefore owe no-one but myself a living.
Sending my guys home and letting them have a day with their families has increased morale and I have a happier and more productive workforce now.
And also, by your reckoning cost of labour has nothing to do with foreign workers being brought in then;) Its just us lazy locals.
As you would say Pah!
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Ok, The Man, your post came across as as a hacked off employee. With the new information you being an employer does cast a differnt light. I apologise and respect your attitude as an employer. Have a good day and year.
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I arrive in Guernsey from Queensland, Australia on the 10th March. I was told that it “never” snows in Guernsey and “it is warmer that the UK mainland”!! Wow, did they at least get some of that wrong!! Think i will go and get some thermals before I leave so that my essential bits don’t drop off :)
thanks for the great photos and really looking forward to arriving from this infernal heat in QLD!!
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Thanks Jackie
You Too!
Lets hope for some more snow before the winters out eh??
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‘The Man’ has a fantastic attitude as an employer and as he says it does boost morale and increase productive working. Of course not everyone has that luxury i.e. those who are providing a service to the community but as he says – this is such a rare occurence here that for those who are able to take the time off then they should be supported.
There is also the problem of all the schools closing – young children have to be cared by someone so i guess a lot of parents had not choice but to take the day off. Where i work my colleagues were quick to rally around and support those with young children but ensuring that the department i work in was fully functional. We work well as a team and morale (while not brilliant due to the constant public sector bashing) is still high.
As for Jackie’s claim that foreign workers are more trustworthy and work long hours etc then that is true – but has she ever thought that a lot of them have left their families behind and just want to earn as much money as quickly as possible so that they can get back to their families! They are not here for the long haul.
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In response to Belineda, what the police forgot to add is that said 4x4s are safer in snowy conditions providing they are driven by people who actually know how to handle them properly!
Sadly, what we often see on Guernsey are complete amateurs who think that simply owning a chelsea tractor (that has never been off road, apart from a paved driveway) somehow renders them completely immune from difficult driving conditions. They then proceed to bite off far more than they can chew and become a danger both to themselves and others.
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How different it should have been when my ancestor left Torteval and met with his real first fall of snow and live with what Gaspe would accumulated… 4 to 6 feet.
I email you some pictures of a recent snow storm in Western Canada. Give your p. email?
George Edison Langlois, descendent of Pierre who came to Gaspe, to work for the Janvrin and Janvrin cod business, here he married Marie Bourgaize from St-Pierre du Bois and have maney descendents.
Gaspey-Guernseyman
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“but has she ever thought that a lot of them have left their families behind and just want to earn as much money as quickly as possible so that they can get back to their families! ”
We rich them poor? Slight generalisation don’t you think?
“They are not here for the long haul.”
Loving the pun Merlin :)
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‘The Man’ – “Sending my guys home and letting them have a day with their families has increased morale, (while they were at home), and I have a happier and more productive workforce now.” … although my business has now collapsed, my wife has left me, I’ve had to sell the dogs and I’ll only see my kids for 2 weeks during summer holidays – that is the reality. Oh, how I worry about our future generations when I read stories like these, I sincerely hope you deducted a days holiday from every employee ‘The Man’.
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Jackie, i try :o) ……. or as my partner keeps telling me ‘I am very trying’ !
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