UK Deep Freeze

The UK has plummeted into a deep freeze. It is colder that it has been in 26 years here. Many cities in the north are snowed in. My in-laws who are snowed in up in Manchester sent these pictures of their back and front yards (above and below). There is almost no plowing or gritting and there is concern there won't be enough gas to supply the country's heating demands. In many places there is panic and supermarkets shelves are left bare. There is a rash of buying on boots, thermals, and winter wear. Many airports have shut and the Eurostar is having huge delays. If you have moved into a Victorian house like us you will know how the Victorians felt in the dead of winter. Winter warmth revolved around the cooker in the kitchen, the pride and joy of every cook. It kept the room warm and the household would gather there for tea and biscuits. Unfortunately we don't have a cooker yet. We have two electric rings on the counter until the renovations. Yes, we are freezing cold. It is a humid cold and temperatures have dropped as low as -16 in Scotland and as low as -6 in London. Now all you Canadian might be saying that this is not that cold. But living in an old drafty house with breezes coming through some closed windows and doors just isn't warm. We are happy that we are in a terraced house not exposed on all sides of our home. I venture out into the park around the corner to see what has become of the pond. It is very frozen. The small birds waddle around on the ice while the swans try to break through the icebergs. The birds flock to any human being that comes to the lake. I am guessing they are being fed regularly. Hello, winter! It is hard to take photos because I have to take my gloves off and I quickly lose feeling in my fingers. With is no place to really warm up so I head to the Tube to go to the city centre. I am glad the trains are still running for the time being! The snow is falling in the city centre and I go from museum to museum to keep warm. But alas, I must also venture to my studio too. I walk the alley way to the door. The park opposite looks like an old fashioned English scene. Everything is frozen in it. My studio is the one with the large window straight ahead on the 1st floor (2nd floor for all you Canadians). There is no heating in the studio and I catch my breath as I take off my jacket (only to put on my coveralls). I drink copious amounts of hot peppermint tea and wince at the cold toilet seat that I then visit frequently. A friend reminds me that these are the winters of Charles Dickens' days when my studio would have housed a couple of families with no heat. The morning after seems even more frozen. The news tells of seniors buying encyclopedias and old books to burn for fuel because they are cheaper than coal. The roads and sidewalks are sheer ice. No one shovels. I tried, but it is solid ice. Our backyard is a frozen wonderland. A view from an upper window. Luckily, we have a cupboard of all our Christmas stash that is fueling us through January. The news reports that the cold will continue at least until the end of the month.