Things you have recently learnt

briantrumpet

First.Aspect said:

Sure, and I can find you photos of curling on the Lake of Menteith, from like a decade ago. Or snow in Las Vegas.

But Amsterdam isn't as reliably cold as Quebec City is it?

No, but it doesn't stop it being a national obsession. It's like people in Devon having toboggans, despite our having decent snow once every few years: they still go nuts when it happens, and the UK have bobsleigh teams, and that, despite the UK being a very temperate country.

pblakeney

Point is that they all have skates so must use them somewhere.
And make the most of the natural stuff when they can.

orraloon

I worked in Amsterdam for a year in late 80s (giving my age away here, whatevs) and was tutored by the locals on the frozen canal skating thing, with tales of 50km plus odysseys. When the freeze happened, nope not for me, had never skated and also no way am I putting my heavy body on that thin ice. Do I regret missing the opp? Nope.

briantrumpet

orraloon said:

I worked in Amsterdam for a year in late 80s (giving my age away here, whatevs) and was tutored by the locals on the frozen canal skating thing, with tales of 50km plus odysseys. When the freeze happened, nope not for me, had never skated and also no way am I putting my heavy body on that thin ice. Do I regret missing the opp? Nope.

Skating on thin ice....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3O9vNi-dkA

masjer

I've done very similar in Sweden with exactly that noise. My skating wasn't similar. Fall, hit coccyx and repeat. The ice was so thin you could see pike swimming underneath, but I was assured it was strong enough to drive a Mercedes across to an island. I declined the offer.

pinno

masjer said:

I've done very similar in Sweden with exactly that noise. My skating wasn't similar. Fall, hit coccyx and repeat. The ice was so thin you could see pike swimming underneath, but I was assured it was strong enough to drive a Mercedes across to an island. I declined the offer.

When in Stockholm I watched them with inflated rucksacks (for buoyancy in case it goes wrong) on their backs. They would go for mile... hang on, kilometres and kilometres*.

*Though I could have left miles in as 1 Swedish mile = 10km.

pblakeney

pinno said:

*Though I could have left miles in as 1 Swedish mile = 10km.

Doing a Swedish century would be a bit of an endeavour. 😉

pinno

pblakeney said:

pinno said:

*Though I could have left miles in as 1 Swedish mile = 10km.

Doing a Swedish century would be a bit of an endeavour. 😉

When my then Swedish GF said that Sweden was 160 miles long, I got a bit confused thinking she was a bit dense.

pinno

The Vasaloppetis, an annual long distance cross country ski race is 56 miles!

pblakeney

pinno said:

pblakeney said:

pinno said:

*Though I could have left miles in as 1 Swedish mile = 10km.

Doing a Swedish century would be a bit of an endeavour. 😉

When my then Swedish GF said that Sweden was 160 miles long, I got a bit confused thinking she was a bit dense.

🤣🤣🤣

mrb123

pinno said:

pblakeney said:

pinno said:

*Though I could have left miles in as 1 Swedish mile = 10km.

Doing a Swedish century would be a bit of an endeavour. 😉

When my then Swedish GF said that Sweden was 160 miles long, I got a bit confused thinking she was a bit dense.

Pics or it didn't happen...

rick_chasey

First.Aspect said:

Always baffled me why it is so popular in a country with a fairly temperate climate.

A bit like the history of great Dutch tdf climbers i suppose.

Until the 21st Century, it was more common than not for the canals and lakes to freeze in winter.

It's been a tradition for quite a while.









etc

So a millennium or so of that, tends to build up a bit of tradition. Combine that with the Dutch predilection for sport, it quickly becomes a sport etc.

pinno

mrb123 said:

pinno said:

pblakeney said:

pinno said:

*Though I could have left miles in as 1 Swedish mile = 10km.

Doing a Swedish century would be a bit of an endeavour. 😉

When my then Swedish GF said that Sweden was 160 miles long, I got a bit confused thinking she was a bit dense.

Pics or it didn't happen...

If she found out I posted a picture of her, I would be in deep deep sh1t given she's some high up Lawyer now.
I never could win an argument with her, even when she was wrong.

masjer

Their love of windmills now includes wind turbines to try and ensure that the canals will freeze at all.

pinno

masjer said:

Their love of windmills now includes wind turbines to try and ensure that the canals will freeze at all.

I see your thinking.
What would China look like if they decided to replace all their coal fired power stations to wind energy? 10 Turbines per sq. football pitch?

First.Aspect

rick_chasey said:

First.Aspect said:

Always baffled me why it is so popular in a country with a fairly temperate climate.

A bit like the history of great Dutch tdf climbers i suppose.

Until the 21st Century, it was more common than not for the canals and lakes to freeze in winter.

It's been a tradition for quite a while.









etc

So a millennium or so of that, tends to build up a bit of tradition. Combine that with the Dutch predilection for sport, it quickly becomes a sport etc.

You know RC sometimes you don't need to explain the entire arboreal ursidae digestive cycle to your fellow forumites.

The little ice age occurred across the whole of Europe but to this day people don't try to erect funfairs on the Thames.

You get the point - its a slight anomaly.

masjer

pinno said:

masjer said:

Their love of windmills now includes wind turbines to try and ensure that the canals will freeze at all.

I see your thinking.
What would China look like if they decided to replace all their coal fired power stations to wind energy? 10 Turbines per sq. football pitch?

If people stopped buying so much of their plastic tat, maybe not so many.

rick_chasey

First.Aspect said:

rick_chasey said:

First.Aspect said:

Always baffled me why it is so popular in a country with a fairly temperate climate.

A bit like the history of great Dutch tdf climbers i suppose.

Until the 21st Century, it was more common than not for the canals and lakes to freeze in winter.

It's been a tradition for quite a while.









etc

So a millennium or so of that, tends to build up a bit of tradition. Combine that with the Dutch predilection for sport, it quickly becomes a sport etc.

You know RC sometimes you don't need to explain the entire arboreal ursidae digestive cycle to your fellow forumites.

The little ice age occurred across the whole of Europe but to this day people don't try to erect funfairs on the Thames.

You get the point - its a slight anomaly.

OK let me spell it out really simply.

Until the 21st century, it was normal for canals & lakes to freeze over each winter.

Understood?

briantrumpet

rick_chasey said:

First.Aspect said:

rick_chasey said:

First.Aspect said:

Always baffled me why it is so popular in a country with a fairly temperate climate.

A bit like the history of great Dutch tdf climbers i suppose.

Until the 21st Century, it was more common than not for the canals and lakes to freeze in winter.

It's been a tradition for quite a while.









etc

So a millennium or so of that, tends to build up a bit of tradition. Combine that with the Dutch predilection for sport, it quickly becomes a sport etc.

You know RC sometimes you don't need to explain the entire arboreal ursidae digestive cycle to your fellow forumites.

The little ice age occurred across the whole of Europe but to this day people don't try to erect funfairs on the Thames.

You get the point - its a slight anomaly.

OK let me spell it out really simply.

Until the 21st century, it was normal for canals & lakes to freeze over each winter.

Understood?

I liked your old paintings - I'd been trying to find something like that to explain the 'tradition' part.

rick_chasey

Here's a painting from 1809



1829 Harlingen speed skating competition



etc

briantrumpet

I think there's the aspect that when it does freeze, the opportunities are so widespread and almost endless - being able to skate in straight lines for miles on end (should one so desire) must be quite an experience.

shirley_basso

I think my auntie took part in it once. I certainly remember doing a lot of wild ice skating when I was very small, spending lots of Christmases in Holland

capt_slog

I've always thought of Holland as a skating nation. I think it might have cone from a story I was told or more likely saw on Jackanory as a kid as i recall the pictures! It was about a boy who was ill when the freeze came and was unable to go skating on what would have been his first real season. I big deal when all his friend were getting out.

I used to skate a lot as a teenager, that was the reason i found my ignorance on the skates such a surprise. I skated on frozen lakes several times and remember that cracking noise too.

TheBigBean

pinno said:

masjer said:

Their love of windmills now includes wind turbines to try and ensure that the canals will freeze at all.

I see your thinking.
What would China look like if they decided to replace all their coal fired power stations to wind energy? 10 Turbines per sq. football pitch?

China has more wind power than any other country.

rick_chasey

Big country has a lot of stuff shocker.

First.Aspect

rick_chasey said:

First.Aspect said:

rick_chasey said:

First.Aspect said:

Always baffled me why it is so popular in a country with a fairly temperate climate.

A bit like the history of great Dutch tdf climbers i suppose.

Until the 21st Century, it was more common than not for the canals and lakes to freeze in winter.

It's been a tradition for quite a while.









etc

So a millennium or so of that, tends to build up a bit of tradition. Combine that with the Dutch predilection for sport, it quickly becomes a sport etc.

You know RC sometimes you don't need to explain the entire arboreal ursidae digestive cycle to your fellow forumites.

The little ice age occurred across the whole of Europe but to this day people don't try to erect funfairs on the Thames.

You get the point - its a slight anomaly.

OK let me spell it out really simply.

Until the 21st century, it was normal for canals & lakes to freeze over each winter.

Understood?

Dude, I'd understood it before. No need for a conversation about how many beans we have if we add two beans to two other beans, Baldrick.

I still think it's an anomaly that its stuck around. It's not as though there's a great tradition of telemark in Scotland is there? Until recently there was much more snow.

pinno

TheBigBean said:

pinno said:

masjer said:

Their love of windmills now includes wind turbines to try and ensure that the canals will freeze at all.

I see your thinking.
What would China look like if they decided to replace all their coal fired power stations to wind energy? 10 Turbines per sq. football pitch?

China has more wind power than any other country.

humour
(hjuːməʳ)
Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular present tense humours, present participle humouring, past tense, past participle humoured
REGIONAL NOTE:
in AM, use humor
1. UNCOUNTABLE NOUN
You can refer to the amusing things that people say as their humour.
Her humour and determination were a source of inspiration to others.
2. See also sense of humour
3. UNCOUNTABLE NOUN
Humour is a quality in something that makes you laugh, for example in a situation, in someone's words or actions, or in a book or film.
She felt sorry for the man but couldn't ignore the humour of the situation. [+ of]
Synonyms: comedy, funniness, fun, amusement More Synonyms of humour
4. VARIABLE NOUN
If you are in a good humour, you feel cheerful and happy, and are pleasant to people. If you are in a bad humour, you feel bad-tempered and unhappy, and are unpleasant to people.
Christina was still not clear why he had been in such ill humour.
Next day, Louis XIV was in the best of humours.
Synonyms: mood, spirits, temper, disposition More Synonyms of humour
5. UNCOUNTABLE NOUN [adjective NOUN]
If you do something with good humour, you do it cheerfully and pleasantly.
Hugo bore his illness with great courage and good humour.
6. VERB
If you humour someone who is behaving strangely, you try to please them or pretend to agree with them, so that they will not become upset.
She will actually sit and watch them with me, to humour me. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: indulge, accommodate, go along with, spoil More Synonyms of humour

First.Aspect

The China has more than type arguments can be misleading, given how vast China is.

pinno

China has more Chinese people living there than anywhere else.

TheBigBean

Wind power per capita. Note that China's energy use per capita is lower than many countries.

Per capita Total
1 Denmark 1068 6,235
2 Sweden 933 9,688
3 Ireland 864 4,300
4 Germany 747 62,184
5 Norway 738 3,977
6 Spain 572 27,089
7 Portugal 509 5,239
8 Finland 449 2,474
9 Uruguay 426 1,514
10 Belgium 406 4,692
11 Greece 384 4,113
12 Netherlands 375 6,600
13 United Kingdom 369 24,665
14 Australia 367 9,457
15 Austria 361 3,224
16 United States 355 117,744
17 Canada 353 13,577
18 Luxembourg 262 166
19 France 258 17,382
20 Estonia 238 316
21 China 200 281,993
22 Croatia 195 788
23 Lithuania 193 539
24 Italy 183 10,839
25 Cyprus 178 158
26 Poland 164 6,267
27 Romania 156 3,023
28 New Zealand 153 784
29 Chile 109 2,149
30 Turkey 106 8,832