specjo

Mrs Fairhurst - You have my deepest sympathies. Most people in society today do not have the decency to return someone's property. In the past, I have always tried to be honest and return anything I found. I once tapped a young lady on the shoulder because she dropped her mobile and I found a purse with a bus pass in it and returned to the old lady in the bungalow who it belonged to. Note - It's not always a good idea to use your real name on a forum page as you may post threads that people who are close to you don't like (eg employers)

This has got to be one of my "All time favourite threads". Everytime I read it, I'm rolling about laughing. It totally describes the nature of our society in 2011 - That there are a few selfish, criminal people about who are no doubt claiming all the state benefit that they can, who don't give a damn about anybody else and a handful of do-gooders. Proper funny.

In addition to future flooding; I bet I'm the only one who has considered that there may be power cuts due to snow freezing on power lines. Has everyone got candles and matches close to hand?

I own a 4x4 and don't for one minute think they are totally easy to drive in the snow. When travelling up hill it is important to maintain a constant speed and not slow down, otherwise the vehicle may start sliding to one side (particularly dangerous if there's a pedestrian nearby).

Cole Brothers (now John Lewis) sell the best quality long johns. I buy them for my hubby. They wash really well and he uses them for years. Cheaper versions often shrink in the wash and the elastic around the waist band goes - therefore you'll spend forever trying to pull them back up.

I would gladly go out and clear snow not only from the public pavement but also my driveway (for the sake of the postman and milkman). However, I'm sure I saw a news report on the TV a couple of years ago that said if anyone clears snow from a pavement then they are accepting responsibility for the safety of that pavement and that if a person subsequently slips and falls on ice the person who started clearing snow from it is responsible !!! Can anyone else remember this news item? I'm not prepared to clear snow for someone to take me to court me if they fall and brake their leg !!!

Can all parents inform their children that a poor Rotherham girl was killed in a sledging accident a couple of years ago?? The poor girl and her schoolfriends were sledging on an old car bonnet down a steep field. Unfortunately they had not checked what was at the bottom of the field. <REMOVED> All children should check to see what is at the bottom of the field before sleding. Remind them to look for fencing, walls and any water - streams, rivers etc :o

If the children were bigger than 9 years old - then yes I would call the police every time. This is because 10 year old children (or above) are old enough to be aware of what they are doing and the consequences of their actions. Snow balls thrown by small children are relatively harmless - They are small balls of loose snow thrown only a few feet for the sake of fun. Whereas snow balls thrown by teenagers are usually made from compacted ice that is pelted at some speed with force that is great enough to cause damage or injury.

Milkmen are a dying breed (due to the supermarkets) but provide such a wonderful community service. They call to the homes of their elderly and vulnerable customers everyday and keep an eye on them. They'd notice if yesterday's milk hadn't been taken in. It' a shame that more people don't use a local milkman. Mine has helped me bump-start my car, reported milk not being taken in by an elderly man (who turned out to have had a stroke), and generally helps all the residents on his round:hihi:

No-one has sledges in stock. Make your own. Use anything with a relatively smooth surface that can carry your weight and tie some string to it.

You'll get fuel from "Thorpies" garage at Thurgoland because the employees who work there actually live in the same village, so have no excuse not to open up. Thurgoland is not far from Stocksbridge. Local people for local places.

Perhaps it's time society should re-structure itself??? I recall a time (when I was little) when your parents made sure they lived in the same area where they worked .... If your Dad got a job at a steelworks in Meersbrook - you went to live in Meersbrook. If he got offered a job working at Fletchers bakery - you went to live in Hillsborough. Parents looked for a home close to work and within walking distance of a school, shops, doctor. That's how it was. No-one considered that commuting was a good idea. The result of people living and working within their small, local community was that they built a strong sense of community spirit and pride. People actually helped each other and created community co-hesion.

I would gladly pay my council tax in good faith to the old fashioned "rural local authority" that we used to have, rather than the big city council who pumps all the money into Pitsmoor, Darnall etc. They completely forget the rural residents and use every penny for those in the city. The old "rural council's" were brilliant: We had our own council housing stock and waiting lists that gave priority to people who had lived all their lives in that rural local authority - Therefore our crime rates were virtually nil, drugs were non existant and social and moral decay did not exist and no-one was homeless. We had our own small, local town hall that dealt with everything - No need to trail all the way to the city centre. We had our own local police officer funded by our council rates - The local "Bobby" was a respected man who everyone looked up to. I remember the "Bobby" slapping me for being cheeky when I was a kid. Do you think I made a formal complaint to the Police Authority? I daren't even tell my mum cos I know I would have got some more off my Dad. The rural council was supported and paid for by local people with local people working for them. The council workers didn't stay at home if it snowed because they lived in the local area and could walk to work. Bring back rural communities !!! I hate Sheffield city centre and Sheffield Ciy council.

I'm so jealous of you "townies". Us people out on the very edges of Sheffield don't get anything when the weather is bad. We haven't had a postal delivery in our village for 4 days. We also haven't had a single bus run through the village for 4 days and we haven't had the grit wagon/snow plough come down the main road of our village at all!!! When our village flooded in the summer of 2007, lots of residents called the fire brigade many times to ask them to pump water out of our homes. You know what they said in response?? "Sorry, unless human life is in imminent danger we're too busy looking after the people in Sheffield city centre to bother with the small villages. You're on your own and will have to manage the best you can." We called the council many times to ask them for delivery of emergency sand-bags and they responded "Sorry, we had to use all the available sand-bags to protect the buildings in the city. You're on your own". We pay the same levels of council tax as you "townies" but never get the same level of service !!! It's time people in rural areas paid less council tax if they don't get the same service.

Does anybody remember the 'good old days' when a handful of teachers lived within the area where they worked. Anyone older than 40 will remember regularly saying "Good morning Miss Simpson" to one of their teachers in the local co-op just down the street? A couple of teachers always managed to walk to school to open up, no matter what the weather. We all then sat in the hall and did colouring in all day and singing hymns (if there weren't enough teachers to man all the classrooms). Today, why do all the teachers have to live a 15 mile communte from their place of work and at the first flake of snow close the school?