The Cog is Dead: Holy Crap, It’s Snowing!

Holy crap, it’s snowing!

The flakes are falling down, the wind is blowing.

The roads are closed, there’s nowhere I’ll be going now.

I guess today I’m staying home.

Oh yeah. But what is this “snow” you ask?

Water freezes into icy flakes.

It’s sort of a frozen form of precipitation.

Blankets all the houses, trees and lakes.

And everything is covered in a layer of white!

Holy crap, it’s snowing!

That’s right!

The inches on the ground just keep on growing.

It’s bright!

The snow reflects the sun and it is glowing now!

I think I’ll put my goggles on.

It’s important!  You know snow blindness is a real thing!

When temperatures reach 0° Celsius or 32° Fahrenheit

Atmospheric water vapor freezes into beautiful geometric crystals.

These crystals fall from the sky down to the Earth in what is commonly known as snow.  And what’s that I see out there?

Holy crap, it’s snowing!

Oh my!

And not a single blade of grass is showing.

It’s cold!

And it’s not showing any signs of slowing soon.

I guess it’s time to go inside.  Yup!

Do you remember the rhymes from the lyrics?

1. snowing – ……

2. flakes – ……

3. snowing – ……

Key

1. blowing

2. lakes

3. growing

Snow idioms and expressions. Can you match them with their meaning?

Key

1. c.

2. e.

3. a.

4. d.

5. b.

Forget the John Lewis Christmas advert — this year’s tear-jerker comes from Poland.

Two and a half million people from around the globe have watched this year’s advertisement from Allegro, an online auction website.

It features a grandfather, who orders an “English for beginners” set from the website.

He then sets about becoming fluent, sticking Post-It notes around the house with English words on.

The elderly gentleman even practices loudly on the bus, bemusing those around him.

He seems particularly keen to learn how to introduce himself, and say “I love you” and “you are perfect”.

For those wondering why he is putting so much effort into learning English, the reason soon becomes clear.

His son appeared to have moved to England, and married an English woman.

The two have a child together, the old man’s granddaughter.

At the end of the advert, we see him introducing himself to her: “Hi. I am your grandfather”.

The advert has touched people around the world.

Read some of the comments:

“Real tears were shed watching this.”

“Hi I’m just silently sobbing at this ad.”

“My gosh… that was a beautiful ad.. I got tears in my eyes.”

Another said: “I’m not crying, you’re crying.”

A spokesperson for Allegro told BuzzFeed: “For years, we’ve strived to make both Allegro – the largest e-commerce platform in the CEE region – as well as our communication to customers bring joy, touch the heart and cause a smile.

“Such is this ad: about a grandfather who overcomes obstacles to reunite with his loved ones living abroad. Many Polish people share the same experience. Nearly one million Poles have decided to leave the country in search for a job, mainly heading the United Kingdom. Despite the relatively close distance between the countries, family ties tend to weaken. Therefore, Christmas for many is a difficult time in which we yearn for more.

“But the story we are telling is all-purpose and can be easily understood by any other nation or community who can easily link the happy ending of a smile and tears of emotion to their daily human experience.”

source: The Telegraph

snow
1. (főnév – nem megszámlálható) – hó
I could see footprints in the snow. – Lábnyomokat láttam a hóban.
2. (főnév – megszámlálható) – nagy mennyiségű hó, ami hosszabb időszak alatt esett (általában többes számban: snows)
The melting of the winter snows caused floods throughout the country. – A hóolvadás árvizeket okozott szerte az országban.

to snow (ige)  – esik a hó
It’s snowing finally! – Végre esik a hó!

snow chains – hólánc
In some cases, snow tires might be acceptable. In others, the severity of storm conditions might mean you have to use snow chains. – Néhány esetben elfogadható a téli gumi. Más esetekben, a vihar súlyosságától függően hóláncot kell használni.

snow cone – jégkása
All the children were having snow cones at the beach. – Minden gyerek jégkását evett a strandon.

snow day – hó nap (amikor nem kell pl. iskolába menni a nagy havazás miatt)
The school is closed today, we have a snow day. There is too much snow for students to travel. –Ma be van zárva az iskola, hó nap van. Túl sok a hó ahhoz, hogy a tanulók utazzanak.

snow plough – hóeke
We need snowploughs that clear runway. – the airport chief said. – A kifutópályákat letakarító hóekékre van szükségünk. – a reptér vezetője mondta.

snow tire – téli gumi           
It’s time to get your winter tires out and remove your summer tires from your vehicle. –  Itt az idő, hogy elővedd a téli gumikat és levedd a nyári gumikat a járművedről.

snow-capped – hófödte
With its snow-capped mountains and bright blue lakes, it’s little surprise that Bariloche is one of the most popular destinations in Argentina. – Hófödte hegycsúcsaival és a tiszta kék tavaival nem meglepő, hogy Bariloche Argentína egyik legnépszerűbb úti célja.

snow-white – hófehér
My grandmother used to make the beds with snow-white sheets when her grandchildren slep over. – A nagymamám hófehér lepedővel ágyazott meg, amikor az unokái nála aludtak.

The storm – dubbed “Snowzilla” – walloped a dozen states from Friday into early Sunday, affecting an estimated 85 million residents who were told to stay indoors and off the roads for their own safety.

The 26.8 inches (68 centimeters) of snow that fell in New York’s Central Park was the second-highest accumulation since records began in 1869, and more than 22 inches paralyzed the capital Washington.

Near-record-breaking snowfall was recorded in other cities up and down the East Coast, with Philadelphia and Baltimore also on the receiving end of some of the worst that Mother Nature could fling at them.

But as the storm ended and temperatures rose, New York emerged from total shutdown and lifted a sweeping travel ban. Roads were reopened throughout the city, on Long Island and in New Jersey.

Thousands of people flocked to parks, tobogganing, organizing snowball fights and strapping on cross-country skis, as children delighted in a winter wonderland under glorious sunshine.

Broadway resumed shows, which were canceled on Saturday, and museums reopened, as snow plows quickly cleared the main avenues and temperatures hovered at about 32 degrees Fahrenheit (zero Celsius).

Jessica Edwards, a filmmaker from Canada, joined in the fun, pulling four-year-old daughter Hazel down a hill on a sled in a New York park.

“Oh my God, she’s so excited — we left the house this morning and we packed a bunch of stuff to make a snowman,” she told AFP.

– Caution advised –

But as the storm-related death toll rose, authorities advised caution despite the picture postcard scenes outside.

“We urge all New Yorkers not to travel on our roads except when necessary, and to be extremely careful when driving,” Mayor Bill de Blasio told a news conference.

“Our tireless sanitation workers are out in full force and we must give them space to clear the roads. If you go outside, use caution and stay alert for ice and cold temperatures,” he added.

In the nation’s capital, which is not as adept at handling winter weather as the Big Apple, authorities struggled to get the city back up and running.

Major roads were clear downtown, but side streets were still piled high with snow. Public schools were to remain closed and only limited public transportation was to resume Monday.

Metro fares were to be waived as trains would begin running only every 20-25 minutes, and only at underground stations on three of the city’s six lines. Only a few key bus lines were to be in operation Monday from 12-5 pm.

Limited flight operations were to resume from Washington’s Reagan National and Dulles International airports on Monday, a day after officials battled in New York to get some aircraft off the ground.

Among those whose travel was disrupted by the blizzard was Vice President Joe Biden, whose airplane made an unscheduled detour to warm and sunny Miami as he traveled from meetings in Turkey early Sunday, unable to land in snowed-under Washington.

The White House says Biden will now depart Miami Monday for his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware.

The House of Representatives meanwhile, has opted to remain out of session for the coming week due to the severity of the winter storm and related travel woes — with no votes set until February 1.

– Trash to linger –

Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said while there had been “a lot of progress” Sunday, there would be no trash collection on Monday and Tuesday, and urged people to keep vehicles off the roads for at least another 24 hours.

“We expect that with the temperature dropping tonight and for every night this week, that we will see continued slick and dangerous roadways,” she told a news conference.

“We want to have tomorrow to continue to keep cars off the road so that we can clear those major arteries and also clear the places where many people who come to our downtown would normally park.”

Beyond the Big Apple and the US capital, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia were the hardest-hit areas. A few locations surpassed one-day and two-day snow records, said the National Weather Service.

source: Washington AFP

What can you do with the snow and the ice if you want to enjoy winter? How many activities, winter sports can you collect?

Here is our list.

In the video, it shows that every winter, a young Lily builds a magic snowman who shows her wonderful stories. Every winter, the magical snowman puts on a show for the little girl. But over time, life pulls them apart.

Since it’s a cartoon, anything is possible. The snowman comes to life, and is able to create mini movies for Lily using her backyard fence, his branch fingers, and the light from the kitchen window. Lily enjoys the experience so much she wants to find a way to preserve the snowman when spring starts coming. So she hides him in an old fridge in the garage. And then year after year, every winter, Lily enjoys the cinematic magic, storing away the snowman when necessary. But years pass, and soon, the snowman is often alone in the fridge. The garage gets more cluttered and Lily has grown up to be a successful businesswoman in a corporate office. But working late one night, after knocking over a couple of things on her desk and noticing her snow globe, she recalls the memories, and maybe she can still have that connection she once had. Will she remember to take the time for what she loved?

It’s a touching piece about growing up and remembering the things in life that matter, and it is simply beautiful. It reminds you that this winter season you should make time for your loved ones. Make sure to hug them and kiss them, and show them your love.

It is a sweet story which goes straight to the heart. Beautiful and inspiring!

Let’s collect winter words. How many words do you know beginning with the word ‘snow’?

Key: