This last week has seen some seriously cold temperatures. We have also had the most beautiful snowy scenes and today’s post is about surviving the cold here in the Quirky Museum.
The snow started on Sunday night. As we went to bed I pulled back the curtains and half sat up in bed to watch things gradually turn white outside. Rachel probably thought I was mad and promptly went to sleep. We are fortunate to have a floor to ceiling window and this was absolutely ideal in having a nice view. It was quite mesmerising and very peaceful and quiet outside. Such a calming effect and needless to say I was fast asleep very, very quickly.
The snowfall, it must be said, was only adding to the beautiful hoar frost which had formed a few days before and had lingered in sub zero temperatures. So for the last week we have had two inches of snow outside, continuous sub zero conditions and some beautiful scenes.
That’s all very well but what’s it been like here in the Quirky Museum? Cold, is the most obvious answer. I suppose we are mentally programmed these days to be careful with the heating as gas prices are roughly double the price from 12 months ago.
Even with the boiler running from 7am to 10pm, the house was on the cool side. To be fair, most radiators were turned to a lowish setting. In the main living room, it was toasty warm with a combination of three red hot radiators and the log stove simmering away.
Now all this comes at a price when it is continuously sub zero outside. Now and again I glanced at the smart meter in the hall and refused to look again once it had hit £15 for the day. The house has been insulated as far as reasonably possible but there are limits to what can be done with a period property. There are no cavity walls. It is detached, so there are no neighbouring houses to insulate us and so on. The warmth of the two hall hall radiators drifts up to the landing and then further up another staircase to the attic. Hey ho.
We both developed a cough in the evenings. We did wonder if we were both going down with the dreaded lurgy but Rachel concluded it was some smoke escaping from the wood burning stove (so that’s out of action while it is attended to). I have been down in the cellar a few times, just to keep an eye on the water pipes down there. Some pipes are central heating pipes and the mains supply comes into the cellar from outside – all well insulated – and seem okay. The laundry, on the other hand, is unheated and seriously cold. The washing machine stopped working and we wonder if something has frozen – yet to be resolved!
As for us, how have we been coping? Not too bad, an extra layer of clothing and it’s been alright-ish. In fact considering it has been -9ºc outside a few nights, we have faired okay. In the mornings I wake up under a winter duvet with a quilt on top. I am really, really warm and sticking my foot out seems such a radically risky thing to do.
Still, things aren’t bad. We hear on the news about some families who are really struggling and have the choice of heating or eating. Sounds such an extraordinary thing to hear in the UK but it’s true. With this there are always going to be two sides to the story. Sure, some people make bad decisions and it’s their own making. For others it is misfortune, bad luck etc coming their way. Add to the mix some Government policy and it is a dire situation for many and sadly safety nets seem in short supply for some.
Yesterday, Sunday 18 December, a warm front brought some light rain up from the south. While it was pretty miserable outside, it was welcome. Stepping outside today seemed almost tropical! The temperature has gone from sub zero to 11ºc overnight – amazing! Naturally all the snow and ice has now been washed away and we are back to heavy, dark grey skies but with a sense of hopefulness and optimism still 100% in tact – yay!