No, those of us in more temperate countries can't imagine what it's like to walk and play on iced over lakes, I think we are genuinely intrigued. Put it this way, where I live in the middle of the UK, I would never, ever walk on a frozen over pond or lake, or let my dog, as even in the coldest winters, I wouldn't have a clue whether the ice was 1inch, or 50 inches deep, and even what depth would be safe to hold any weight. Apart from the obvious thawing signs, colour changes wouldn't mean anything to me either. Now mud, I can tell you a lot about mud heavy clay soil here is a nightmare!
Gosh yes, isn't it strange? My dog walker said she couldn't get Monty back on the lead yesterday, he was absolutely wound up to the max with the wind, prancing around and tangling up the other dogs already on leads. I can only apologise
Hehe! Our gundog training group was a disaster this morning, total mayhem, Cass behaving like a 6 month old that had never been let loose in field in her life! Now she's sleeping like she's worked sooooo hard! Sorry Jazzmyn, will stop hijacking now.
I was only kidding about the “teasing” part! It really is quite a process. Here’s a true story: our neighbour had a bunch of high school drama students at her house about 20 years ago. They were from the southern US and had never seen snow, so she asked if we could take them all for a short snowmobile ride on the lake. I took one of them out to where some people were ice fishing, thinking he might be interested in seeing the thickness of the ice through the fishing hole. He freaked out, screamed something like “I thought we were on a field” and ran for the shore! I’ve never seen someone move that fast! Lol. He had no idea we were on ice. Hehehe
On another note, I’m learning a lot about other parts of the world and cultures as well. I love the pictures in the “my walk” thread with such diverse scenery. And....I’ve learned that (hope I have this right)...Wellies are rubber boots, nobs are ovens/stoves, some of you have special mud boots but I can’t remember what they’re called. I’m still trying to figure out if a “boot” is a trunk, a bumper, a backseat, or the back of an SUV. Lol I’ve come so far!
*snigger* A "hob" is the flat top part of the oven, with gas burners, electric hot plates or induction plates. I think you might be talking about Muckboots - they're just brand of wellies/winter boots. The "boot" is the trunk of the car - the part where you normally put luggage/shopping. In a saloon, it's separate from the car, in a hatchback, estate, SUV etc, you can normally fold the rear seats down to make a single space between the boot and the rear of the car.
And careful how you use this in the UK, it's either a rude term to describe someone as a bit of an idiot, or alternatively a slang term for a particular male appendage...
Omg...I totally meant “hob”! That’s hilarious. And we use the same term of endearment here in Canada for “nob”. Lol
Thanks v much for the lake ice explanations, Jazzmyn. I’m genuinely interested It’s all very cool (no pun intended). Re. cars, in Australia we call an estate car a ‘station wagon’. I think it’s called that in the US too.
Yes, we call it a station wagon here too. Never heard of a saloon though - is that a sedan? What do you call a minivan? I vaguely remember this confusion when trying to rent a large car last time I was in Britain...
A saloon is a sedan. We say sedan (although I think the term saloon used to be used here for racing sedans). What people call a ‘truck’ in the US/Canada (thing with a cab for people on the front and a tray behind) we call a ‘ute’. Short for ‘utility’.
Back to ice.... .....in the UK it is pretty much considered dangerous to go on lake ice unless the weather has been below zero for a prolonged time (doesn't happen that often) and even then, its not encouraged for safety reasons. In Scotland, our lakes are called "Lochs" and historically, if there is a frozen Loch, the curlers are out! That is something I think you Canadians know something about? Also, a bit safer, there were certain shallow flooded areas that could be used for curling and called "The Curlies" around the East coast of Scotland - there are a few I know about, one up in Montrose where my OH's Grandparents lived, which is a permanent pond, but others too that are only flooded +/- frozen in winter. http://www.pbase.com/liamod/montrose_curlie
I visited Canberra years ago --- spent a very cold night in there, definitely icy, I remember. I thought Australia was hot all the time and hadn't taken any warm clothes!
