Dinner & Snow

26/11/2010: 8.00pm Jumaat - Saya dan beberapa orang dari pihak trust committee serta pengurusan MWHS telah mengendalikan dan meraikan majlis makan malam bersama 15 orang penghuni yang telah menyewa rumah dan bilik sewa MWHS. Majlis ini diadakan di Azaads Restaurant di Woodburn Road Sheffield.

Keunikan para penghuni MWHS ialah terdiri dari berbagai bangsa dan dari berbagai negara seperti Arab Saudi, Malaysia, Nigeria, Jordon, UK, Sri Langka dan Egypt.

Salah seorang penyewa dari Nigeria berkata betapa seronoknya dia disini apabila dia melihat sendiri kuatnya ukhuwwah dikalangan brother muslim dan tidak terdapat di negaranya walaupun berada di dalam komuniti muslim.

12.00am Sabtu - Keadaan di luar yang sangat sejuk, tidak hujan dan cerah di siang harinya. Tetapi, Selepas jam 12.00 malam, kelihatan debu-debu halus mula turun dengan lintang-pukang menutupi permukaan bumi Sheffield.

Ya!, Snow mula turun dengan lebatnya, suhu jatuh ke negatif (-) 3deg. Agak awal ianya turun pada tahun ini. Permukaan jalan dan kawasan kelihatan putih diselimuti Salji.

Betapa besarnya ciptaanMu ya Allah.

abuzorief @ woodburn road, Sheffield
27/11/2010 Saturday morning

UK Snow Alert: More Severe Weather On Way(c) Sky News 2010

Severe weather warnings are in place for almost all of the UK, with heavy snow and bitter temperatures forecast that could last for up to two weeks.

Some 10in (25cm) of snow is expected to fall over higher ground and parts of the Midlands and London will not escape a dusting.

Police in the North East are telling people not to drive unless absolutely necessary, and Gwent Police have warned of extremely bad driving conditions around Caerphilly.

There are warnings of ice on the roads in Northern Ireland, the North East, Yorkshire and Humber, the East Midlands, London and the South West, according to the Met Office.

And Scotland, the North East, Yorkshire and Humber, East Midlands and the South West are braced for more heavy snow.

Temperatures today will barely rise above freezing, with the South West set to be the warmest at around 3C.

Sky News weather presenter Isobel Lang said: "It's going to remain freezing cold this weekend with some very low night-time temperatures, possibly as low as -15C in places, and with daytime temperatures hovering around freezing.

"Today will see further snow showers especially in areas exposed to the north or northeasterly wind, but also across parts of the Midlands, East Anglia and southern counties of England from Kent, Sussex through Hampshire and Dorset."

She added: "Tomorrow looks as though there'll be plenty of crisp but sunny weather around.

"Further snow could affect southern coastal counties though, and there'll be heavier snowfalls working westwards across northern England, eastern and southern Scotland and into Ireland."

Last night, temperatures plummeted well below zero, with Sennybridge and Trawscoed in Wales among the coldest places at -10.2C.

Dalwhinnie in the Scottish Highlands saw the mercury drop to -8.2C, Chesham in Buckinghamshire fell to -7C, and Preston in Lancashire recorded -5.8C.

It is the earliest widespread snow falls in Britain for 17 years and forecasters believe the cold snap will tighten its grip, blanketing swathes of the country in the white stuff by the middle of next week.

Weather expert Jim Bacon, speaking from a snow-covered Norwich, told Sky News: "We've been surrounded by snow showers coming in from the coasts on all sides - and that's because it's out over the seas where these showers are being generated."

He added: "I think what we're seeing is a trend towards perhaps earlier winters, cold enough air not too far away from us... in fact up to the northeast over Scandinavia is where this cold air has come from, and to the north of Scotland.

"It doesn't take much effort over warm sea to produce these really heavy snow showers and I think its something we've got to expect to go on for quite a while."

Scotland and the north east of England bore the brunt of the bad weather on Friday - with dumps of up to 30cm recorded in the Highlands and North Yorkshire.

But snow is also drifting across Wales and the South West and even low-lying parts of the UK saw freezing temperatures yesterday, according to the Met Office.

Dozens of schools in Scotland, Northumberland, East and North Yorkshire and Wales were closed and many roads left impassable.

The M4 westbound in South Wales saw a 26-mile tailback last night, with the M25 and M40 also badly hit.

The AA said it was called out to 16,000 breakdowns by the end of the day, with 1,220 calls coming in every hour at the busiest time. Wales and the North East were the worst-hit for breakdowns.

Police said all roads in the Grampian region were covered in snow and ice yesterday morning while the A93 at Glenshee, the A939 to Ballater and the A957 Crathes to Stonehaven, at the Slug Road, were also blocked in places.

The RSPCA is also bracing itself for a busy period.

The charity has urged pet-owners to keep dogs away from lakes or ponds which may have iced over and avoid shutting cats out of the house for long periods.

RSPCA wildlife scientist Sophie Adwick added: "Winter can be hard for wildlife and every year the RSPCA rescues lots of animals which are dehydrated, hungry and cold.

"Food and water can be scarce at this time of year anyhow and ground frosts make finding food even more difficult."