Clever little starlings waiting for any bits that fall out from the fat ball in the apple tree that another starling is furiously pecking away at. Love starlings, they're such smart and funny little souls.
Yesterday, despite wearing two pairs of socks, two pairs of trousers (a slimish pyjama pair under my normal round-the-house trousers,) two long-sleeved T-shirts - plus a thick hooded cardigan and a shawl, I was still absolutely bl**dy freezing. This was despite the fact that the central heating was on all day - Gawd help us when the gas bill arrives - and that the two wonderful oil-filled radiators we bought last week in Lidl were pumping out additional heat.
Those oil-filled radiators have been a huge help to us this past week. Frugal Queen mentioned them on her blog and said what a great bargain they were and how efficiently they worked - they were £29.99 each compared to £85.00 which was the cheapest alternative P could find on the internet with the same type of specification. Sadly, I didn't know of a Lidl supermarket anywhere near where we lived. However, when my Mum also mentioned that an extra heat source might be a good idea for us, we checked out where our nearest Lidl was - not that far away as it turned out - and hot-footed it down there early on the Monday morning. There were only three radiators left when we arrived and we bought two of them. They have really made life a lot more comfortable in this draughty cold old house and I'm so pleased we got them.
If this sort of severe winter weather is going to become a regular occurence in the UK, I think I need to start re-thinking my winter wardrobe. I have no boots at all, no thermal underwear, only a few jumpers (and none of those are pure wool) and no really warm winter coat - although my 11-year-old zip-up fleece is useful in cold weather. I know what I'll be looking out for at car boot sales next summer!! At least I'm not short of knitted hats or scarves and they really do help to keep me warm - both indoors and out - though I'm getting a bit fed up with the perpetual 'hat hair' look now!!
My three tips for keeping warm - spicy cup-a-soups, or proper soups if you're having them as meals; hot-water bottles (even during the day, if you pop them and yourself under a blanket) and trying to stay in one room, and keeping that room the warmest, with the aid of a portable heater - like your new ones, I guess !
And can I recommend knitting your own jumper - more expensive than buying one, probably, but you can get exactly the right colour and style and if you think about how long it'll take you to knit it, the price per hour-of-hobby will be pennies - and you'll have a jumper at the end of it. Watch out for the sale in John Lewis come January and if you don't mind the stripey look, then buy the loose balls for half price. I have 'outdoor jumpers', 'work jumpers' and very definitely 'home alone jumpers' - and these are the ones where I've used up leftover yarn.
The weather forecast for Essex tonight is not looking good, so hope you stay warm !
Posted by: Ponytail | 12/21/2010 at 12:03 PM
No sign of any let up in the weather down here, either, Elizabeth - current temp -4, and it's midday! My drive and the roads are like ice rinks, very grateful for my 4x4 or we'd have been stuck at home for over a week now. Have a lovely Christmas, and fingers crossed for a thaw very soon x
Posted by: Caroline | 12/22/2010 at 12:31 PM