janerowena- are you still in the lovely county of Rutland- which we visit often?
When I was a baby, it was recommended for babies to be left to sleep outside, well wrapped up, in the freezing cold. And of course it was the treatment of choice in TB sanatoriums all over Switzerland. Much healthier than over-heated airless modern houses of today.
The cold here is very DRY, and so it just does not feel so cold- In the UK, it was the damp grey cold that really got through my bones (and soul). Just a different kind of cold- just like damp heat is so different to dry heat.