Standstill - Playing safe is probably the most unsafe thing in the world. You cannot stand still. You must go forward.” Robert Collier

Blog 2 : Saturday 4th February 2012 - Moving Day aka Standstill and the joys that befits those that decide to move in the middle of the evening snow chasing us at every turn and then  when caught ensures we are at a complete an utter standstill on M25 for 7 hours. Luck person holding cards you are a true misery!!!!


Luck what a funny words - definition :-Success or failure apparently brought by chance rather than through one's own actions.


Hmmmm! Now I don't know about you but luck is not on my side and hasn't been for the past 2 years, I remember 2010 soooooooooooo fondly. Now don't get me wrong, I have a fantastic little (ok big) family, great husband and the BEST friends a girl could want  but.................... when it comes to decisions/judgement or life events lets just say luck sways very much closer to the bad luck side of the scales. 

So moving day, hubby didn't come home as he usually does on a Friday instead he was collecting the removal van at 8.30am this morning (much about that later), hubby sent a text at 7.45am to say he was on his way (little was I to know not to collect van at that time/ the promised time again more about that later). By 10am and not receiving any more texts from hubby I call him, no answer starting to worry but also thinking he was on the road didn't think too much about it. Then he called back, apparently some problems getting lost in Reading (the collection point of removal van) then paperwork took a while (so he'd only just left). Driving a car the journey would take 3 hours in a 7.5 tonne vehicle possibly a lot more. The move we were so ready for was starting to feel like it was slipping away from us more and more. But we had dismantled beds etc where would we sleep, not forgetting no heat???? and snow forecast for tonight.

I hastily contacted my friends who had kindly offered to help us move and explained to them that we might not be loading up the van quite at the time we thought because it was highly unlikely the van would be there then (as we didn't yet know many people that the number of helpers we could ask was limited) so it was placed in the hands of my good friends. Who I don't think know this blog exists but to Janine and Rob one day if you ever do read this we couldn't have moved without you.

So it turned into a game of waiting, waiting, waiting and every time i'd hear a large vehicle i'd run to the run door to be greeted by my usual large vehicle down our road aka the tractor.

Then my friends arrived, NO hubby so we had a tea and had a chat and hurrah he arrived soon after and to say I was happy was putting it mildly.

Then became the long, arduous task of working out and loading up the van. Easy, yes when you know what you're doing. It started with all the boxes as we'd seen on our many many removals before and then the furniture but then it was ok where do we put the contents of the garage, shed, middle mans bedroom which was still being packed up?? and will we have enough room??? answer to that was JUST! Picture was pre all those rooms / outbuildings hmmm and that is not an overstatement my beloved rose plant that had been nursed back to fullness by my dad was the sacrifice we made, as well as my fireplace candle set, garden dining set, bin etc etc.

But ...............................a little after 6pm we were loaded up and ready to go! In 3 hours time we'd be in our new home (little longer for hubby, how wrong could one be) and we couldn't wait !!

Hubby left first fully loaded and with the baby and top man as i'd loaded up the car completely in the back and couldn't fit the kids in so just took middle man in the front, me of course and Willis in the boot.



As I was saying hubby left and I waited with my friends for the letting agent to arrive, we waited and waited in the cold and after listening to middle man moaning about the insides of his stomach vanishing due to his hunger we left and gave the keys to my trusted friends. She arrived soon after we left apparently but a good half an hours after making us stand in the cold (letting agent lives in same village). 


It was dark, it was cold and firstly it started raining and I managed to catch up with hubby and the lorry after 20mins (he has to drive at snail speed). We carried on driving and after a couple of hours (and huge moaning about hunger) we reached a service centre with a KFC and it was there it started first as rain and then.............................................


the snow flurries came with a vengeance


This is me driving behind hubby and the van.

At this point we didn't think it could get much worse how wrong were we?????????????????????



M25 on the night of move and we were in the start of it!!!

Courtest of the Daily Mail http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2096725/UK-snow-Heathrow-cancellations-M25-delays--Britain-unprepared-again.html

a small section from Linda Lusardi who i'm rather pleased to say hubby didn't know he'd spent the night with on the M25 ;P.

Local councils also said they had called in extra staff to cope and gritters have been out in force since the cold snap began on Monday and were out again last night clearing snow from major routes. 

The Department for Transport had maintained it was now better prepared than ever for severe winter weather. It said salt stocks stood at more than 2.4 million tonnes – a million more than last year.

And a spokesman for the Highways Agency, responsible for major roads like the M25, said: 'We were prepared as possible. As soon as the snow started to fall we had the gritters out.'

Actress Linda Lusardi and her husband Sam Kane were left stranded on the M25 for seven hours and motorists were making snowmen to ease the boredom

Another snowman on the normally busy M25, built by a bored motorist and pictured by Linda Lusardi

Yet this didn't ring true with the thousands stuck on Britain's roads who complained about a lack of snow ploughs clearing routes after snow started to fall on Saturday. 

Among the travellers on the M25 was Downton Abbey actor Hugh Bonneville. He tweeted: "M25 like a skating rink. Several lorries stuck. Have slalomed thru."

Actress and TV presenter Linda Lusardi and her actor husband Sam Kane, were also stuck between junction 24 and 25 - but for seven hours.

The showbiz couple's nightmare journey began after they had driven to St Albans to see a comedian and then got trapped on the clockwise carriageway of the M25 behind lorries that couldn't make it up the steep road.

Their drama started at around 10.30pm on Saturday and finally ended at around 6am today.

Snow is cleared by staff at Ely station, Cambridge, after heavy overnight falls

Desperate: Linda Lusadi documented her nightmare seven-hour journey with a series of updates on Twitter this morning

The couple detailed their nightmare journey in a series of tweets to their followers on Twitter which included pictures of the snowmen frustrated drivers had made.

Former Emmerdale and ex-page 3 girl Linda, 53, tweeted: 'Stuck on M25 in the snow. Must have been an accident People skidding all over the place. Can't wait to get home. 

'It must go back for miles now. We are stuck between J24 and J25 clockwise don't drive unless you have to. 

'Just worried about the babysitter who is waiting and wants to try to get home tonight. We are warm in the car. Lots of Petrol and warm coats. Thanks for your concern.

'We haven't moved for 2 hours now and the kids are worried. Never seen so much snow on the M25.

'We've been here so long people are having to clear the snow off the cars again.

Gridlock: The scene on the M25 at 10pm last night as lorries and cars got trapped in the snow

we saw this car once we started moving!!! 

Dozens of motorists abandoned their cars as on the M25 as snow chaos hit Britain

Thousands of motorists were left stranded in the snow and ice as the M25 ground to a halt

Roads across the South East were hit, including the A217 near Epsom Downs in Surrey

'I thank god the children aren't with us. We have 4 miles before we can get off and its just not moving. 
'Been here since 10.30pm.

'Even when we get off we might not be able to get to our house. Clockwise and we haven't moves since 10.30pm Don't drive its treacherous.

'We are stuck between 24 to 25 not sure how far it goes back. We are still stuck on M25 only been here 5 hours now. Still 3miles to go. Getting really tired now.

'Another motorway snowman. It must be all round the M25 by now. We are between 24 and 25. 

'We went to a comedy club where our mate @TheKevOrkian. Was appearing. He was brilliant. He is about a mile behind us.

'Six hours we've been sitting between junction 24 to 25. Run out of conversation now. Just frustrating. People have been making snowmen.

'Can't believe we have spent all night sitting on the M25 and now we are ready for Pats morning show on Smooth.'

Then finally she wrote: 'We are home HORRAY.'

Driver Scott Davison tweeted: "Last night couldn't get worse got stuck on the M25 for 9 hours, got home at 6am, only had 6 hours sleep..."

Former Brookside star Sam, 43, tweeted: 'Stationary on the M25. Nothing new there. We're seven miles from home and the traffic has come to a stand still. 

'OMG. Can someone tell me what's happened between Jnctn 24+25 on the M25 please. 
'Wish I'd stayed at home. 

'Need a wee. Thanks god I have the company of my best mate @lusardiofficial and a packet of Extra Strong Mints. Might play i-spy

'I spy with my little eye. Something beginning with bored, tired and dying for a p***. We've certainly ground to a halt 200yrds in 2 and 3/4 hours. 

'We're still here mate. Not really moved in 4 hours. Was just told by a police officer problem on M25 jncn 24/25 clockwise delay is lorry's can't get up the hill. 

'We've moved less than half a mile in 5 hours. Fantastic. Test of patience or what. Ok! That's enough. I'm so over this. I was bored 4 hours ago. I don't even know what I am now. No definition to describe this. COME ON!

'Guys. We made it and cleared the drive of the snow for the next adventure Thanks from the bottom of my heart Evry step with us. Thank you.

'Seven and a half all told mate. Seven hours on the motorway mate. Snow stopped play. Typical England. Sleep now.'

And that was mirrored by us, but add on the fact we did have kids as many people did. Lots of girls wearing hardly any clothes running over barrier to wee after 6 hours I tried and failed to wee in a cup TMI I should say so. 

Around 2am I started to move and after finally reaching the M40 and feeling safe enough to look at my phone (please remember the condition of the roads and the fact I was bursting for a wee as I had the morning before, in fact i'd remembered that due to being so busy I was almost at 24 hours since my last wee, shocking but true, ow the agony) Hubby had sent a text saying there was a problem with M40 I quickly called him its almost 3am now.

Me: "i'm almost at junction for m40 what shall I do then do you want me to go to dads?"

Hubby: "what do you mean you're almost at m40 we haven't moved and are still in same place on m25"

Bugger when i'd got through I thought everyone would be getting through..

At 3.30am me, middle man and Willis arrived after being in the car for a total of 9 hours for a 3 hour journey meaning stuck for 6 hours on m25 aaargh.

Then .......................................I didn't remember where the house was and as Stokenchurch 

was now covered in 12 inches of snow i didn't recognise anything and................................i'd run out of battery on my phone.

Bad luck scales coming to mind again ??????

Still bursting bursting bursting to wee and so I drive up one road, nope not that one and 3 point turns done in the thick untouched snow (well had been untouched until I came along) I did this down 3 roads (at 3in the morning remember) until I found our house and............................. couldn't get onto drive and kept stalling and had to keep revving up the engine up over and over in fact until I managed to rev up onto the drive. 

Hello neighbours its 4am on a Sunday morning, we're you're new neighbours  !!!

Finally got in the house and saw a beautiful bouquet of flowers (apparently delivered by hubby the morning of the move, BEFORE collecting the removal van, which then in turn caused a cataclysmic turn of events resulting in everything that has gone wrong in the move) well that the way my arguments have gone ever since.

Hubby arrived at 6.30am and it took a full hour to get into the driveway, which also included having to go up onto the green in front of the house first, then driving across the green and trying again. Lots of revving the engine up (you can see where this is going) and then finally into the drive after knocking down (luckily) our gate post.

Neighbours from hell are we???? Always good to make a great first impression????

TTFN!!!!!