Brrrr - What are you doing to keep warm

Oh wow. Sounds like a lovely holiday. But... What a temperature shock. Wrap up warm.

Of course the biggest risk to our age group in cold weather is falling over and breaking something. Wrists and femurs. Take care if things get slippy folks.

Done the wrist thing....don't intend to do the femur! This year I will be very careful.
I try to move around as much as possible..not sitting too long at the computer..

And, hopefully, not trying to be too much of a hero over your daughter's housemove. Weeding indeed. What are you like .
I went out for a lovely snowy walk. A tad treacherous underfoot at times where there is frozen stuff from last week under the snow. But with all the clothes and the fast pace it was lovely. I always like seeing the animal tracks in the snow. But wish i was better at discriminating between fox and dog/cat.
Then i went to have a coffee in our new local coffee shop. Just opened by some african immigrants. They need the business - i am not convinced it is a great spot to shop up. But nice to have somewhere to go with my laoptop for a change of scene - and get away from the temptations of the internet. Talking of which... hasta la vista ....

I have just taken my small bag of rubbish out to the communal bins - about 100 yards. I was well wrapped up, and it is dry, but very, very cold. It is the wind that bothers me - if I stay in it too long I get a migraine. I have now snuggled back down under my duvet to watch 'Escape to the Country'.
Tomorrow, I will definitely go for a drive, perhaps to Chamonix, and treat myself to tartiflette (a lovely cheese dish) in one of the very many restaurants.

I,ve bought some very tight leggings which I wear under my joggers and other trousers. Very cosy and unlike thick tights the gusset does not descend to my knees smile

That brings back lovely memories greatnan - I went to Chamonix a few years ago during the summer. We took the cable car then the lift that goes right up to the top of Mont Blanc. A lazy way of getting to the top compared with some of the other people we saw up there, but what a fabulous experience. The views from the top and the thin air was something to remember forever.

Hi JessM not sure about a photo ( no publicity please!!) but I bought the insulated squall coat ref 407540FBO . Just gutted it is now even cheaper then when I bought it in December. I have to admit I first heard about these coats on Mumsnet!! where they were recommended for the school run. I could not afford one at full price so was delighted when I saw them in the sale. Whenever I see a lady of a certain age wearing one now I will wonder if she is a Gransnetter!

Good tips for distinguishing dog tracks from fox tracks and cat tracks from both:

www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=68389

Jess - I was doing weeding for me. I know she won't do it and I wanted to free the bulbs coming up from the weeds! Any way it was boring waiting for the gas man. Will look nice later.

Very cold last night and I thought it was me coming down with something, but it was the weather, I discovered from the news this morning. I got a cold weather payment yesterday.
A little more snow this morning but it's gone.

Our house is semi-open plan and we have difficulty keeping the middle bit warm. We leave the heating on overnight at about 8 degrees and then turn it up to 17 (ish) when we get up. On really cold days we have been having one of those really lovely(!!!!) calor gas heaters on in the dining room which seems to spread throughout the whole house but the cylinders are very unwieldy and expensive but at least we don't have any nasty bills in the pipeline as we buy those as we need them.

Oh - semi open plan not great for keeping warm. I keep pulling curtains and closing upstairs doors here.

Who remembers chilblains? I was reminded of the agony of getting up in a freezing house when our gas and electricity failed last night and we were without heat, light and hot water until later this morning. Luckily my be-hatted and duffel-coated husband found a "tripper" in our modern electrical circuit and we're now warm and cosy again. We can also watch television, read our books and use our computers. I think we often forget how spoilt we are in our centrally heated houses and I never want to go back to those Bad Old Days that some people refer to as the Good Old Days. Hooray for gas and electricity (although the price of both is monstrous) and for thermal underwear and home-made soup (both of which are cheap, cheerful and practical). A whisky mac works wonders as well!

And scorch marks on your shins from sitting too close to the fire?

Whisky mac sounds good. Mmm? How many pro points I wonder?

I remember chilblains - not very often but my children and grandchildren don't know what they are!

The scorch marks on shins were called 'fireside tartan' in Dundee.

Erythema ab ignia ithink

I remember chilblains too. My extremities get very cold as does the rest of me, so sod the cost we bung up the heating a tad during the day. As we're not drinkers, rarely take holidays, or anything else - apart from the odd Baileys - warmth is our luxury. I just can't bear being cold.

I heard on the radio that up to a quarter of UK retired people are in 'fuel poverty' - i.e. they spend 10% of their income on keeping warm. I spend only about 3% because my flat is very small and very well insulated, and I am away for about 3 months a year on various holidays.
Travel is my biggest expense - about 50% of my income!

Wrap myself in my "Slanket" to keep warm, mind you bit of an effort to put on and take off and once its on you just have to stay there!

I have resisted the temptation to browse on Landsend until I my DD mentioned coats and I mention the sale at Landsend, and I had to go onto the site to show her. But I have managed to get a great bargain its a shower proof jacket which is perfect for the school run when it warms up and it was only £14.50.

www.landsend.co.uk/pp/StormRaker-Jacket~12741_59.html?bcc=y&CM_MERCH=IDX_00008__0000000022&origin=index

Oh I forgot - hot water bottle under my feet too.

I'm Jack's husband and 8 years' older. I went to boarding school in 1945 aged 6. The school was unbelievably cold particularly in 1946/7. I had chilblains on my toes, fingers, ears and behind my knees. They were with me every winter until 1956-the year I left school. That year I remember my doctor gave me an injection of a massive dose of vitamin A. I didn't get chilblains again but then I was also free of that cold, cold school! Two years' later I was called up into the RAF but I didn't get chilblains despite sleeping in cold Nissan huts. How those poor military personnel managed in the trenches in WW1 and on the Arctic Convoys, I just do not know. Brrr. Off to bed with a hotty now! Warm wishes - Richard.

glass worst mistake I have made this week was to go to LE site,I am now waiting delivery of black 3/4 length squall jacket and light weight jacket for DH that was also £14.50,also ordered some duckkie boots for DGS,I like some of the boots also but have two good pairs and will wait until next year.