Be Excellent To Each Other

Damn cold here this morning. Guess it's time to fire up the boiler!

Our heating has been on for quite some time, now.

We've had our radiator pop on for 30 mins in the morning for the past week or so. Not entirely sure we need it yet as its pretty warm in the flat. More to hold off condensation than anything.

Oh, and they promised us snow in the W. Midlands today, and we've both taken the day off work so it had better deliver!!

My heating has been on a while for BabyTheVision but I think its broke (the heating, not the baby)

It buzzes a lot, the thermostat doesn't seem to work and it makes one hell of a racket. Hopefully it'll be cheap to fix but looking at the boiler makes me think it won't be. It's that old it looks like its powering a steam train.

Yeah, much colder today.

Time to break out the winter garb.

If it gets much colder then Grim... Will need to bust out his 'list of shit you need in your car'.

I currently just have a bucket and spade.

Is it a beach buggy?

I've put a cardigan on.

It's winter, not retirement.

Not here in Mozambique no...

I'd rather be in Norway right now.

When if first snows, I will.

Sounds dramatic, doesn't it? WHEN THE FIRST SNOWS FALL!

But it's too late by then! I might be dead in a ditch!

It's a lovely day - sunny, cold and crisp. Had the top down on the way to work this morning - glorious - certainly clears the head! But sorry to say it, I cannot stand Winter. I wouldn't mind if most days were like today, but most of the time it's just cold, wet, dark, windy and miserable. Stuff round the house always seems to go wrong at this time, and everything looks dead as fuck in the garden (apart from my faithful mahonia, which manages to flower furiously from now right through into Feb, offering a modicum of cheer in an otherwise stark backdrop). Plus, being a biker, I can't stand the snow (it's not as though the Boxster likes it too much either - totally undriveable even with just an inch of snow on the ground, and I'm not paying £2000-odd for a set of Winter tyres)

Bah humbug etc. Roll on the Spring - now that's what I call a Season!

I love the winter.

Does Mrs Cavey not have a car that's more deserving on Winter tyres?

We have to share the Golf when it snows mate - the Boxster (and Harley obv.) both have to sulk at home. (She doesn't work, so it's doable albeit a pain in the arse - and I get nagged about "your stupid, impractical cars and motorbikes, why should I have to stay in, why can't you just grow up, we live in the country or haven't you noticed, I want a Land Rover Evoque in white plz, why don't I ever get to choose our cars" etc. ).
The Golf is excellent in the snow, but not as good as my TT was. That's the one time I hanker for 4x4 lol.

No heating on yet here, I plan to go the full winter without turning it on.

... Seriously?

Mrs C has had the heating on for about 2 months now - and we're going through 4 (massive) bags of anthracite every 3 weeks for the open fires?

Might be time to raise your draw-bridge, Cavey.

We've had the heating on for a couple of hours a day and I lit the fire yesterday. I think the chimney needs doing, as I was a bit grotty this morning.

I am also trying this.

Last year was close.

Next year is closer.

Why are you trying to do this? Is it just to save money?

Ooh fuck me mate, be careful on that score - carbon monoxide and all that. When we moved in here I was assured that all the fires had been swept and were used daily in winter etc., but I thought I'd just check anyway (albeit I did light the fires before this a couple of times, luckily for us it wasn't in the depths of Winter at the time).

The chimney sweep did a bunch of tests and "red ticketed" one of the fires with a DO NOT LIGHT notice. We told him we had lit it and he said we were lucky to still be alive. Which was nice.

Bloody right mate - but it's no good if the blasted moat freezes, what?

Good point. it hadn't crossed my mind that might be soemthing to do with it. my checking the chimney protocol was:

Light fire
Does room fill with smoke. IF 'no' THEN 'OK', IF 'yes' THEN 'find small child'.

To be honest, having the fire on doesn't do much to heat the room at all. I think if I wanted it to do that I'd have to switch to coal and have it going all day which I'm not going to do as I couldn't leave the house then.

My flat is currently 23 degrees even in this weather with no heating on. Fucking new builds...

The reminds me, I need to actually block all the drafts that I never got round to doing during summer.

Fucking Edwardian builds.

Fucking Yorkshire carpenters' inability to fit doors...

In three years we only had the heating on once in Aragon Tower, and that's because I left the windows open all night (in January).

The place was constantly hot.

DocG or someone passed on this nugget of yours... so far it's been true, when it's been single digit temperatures outside it's still be ridiculous hot at night inside. Throw the duvet off and keep turning to stop any one side sweating hot.

My sources say "Snowing on the west coast of the UK".

...

What were you doing in my flat, Meaty?

Being hot

Not in Liverpool. Not yet, anyway

Not down in Devon/Cornwall either

Although I guess I'm not technically west coast, as we have a north and south coast!

Malc

Will you all shush about snow, I have to go across the Pennines tomorrow morning to catch a flight and you lot talking about it makes it more likely to snow.


...at least that's how I think it works.

Leeds bradford? Feel free to stop by.

Speaking to someone in the office about it, they say it's coming down the East coast, from Scotland into Yorkshire!

Good Luck Mali!

Malc

I"m buying gaitors tomorrow.

Grim..., sir,

Are you updating your winter-motoring-post-of-excellence for the forthcoming season?

You should probably take Curio and I off ignore

I'm not reading two pages.

Other way I'm afraid, Sheffield to Manchester...thankyou for the offer though (however not sure you would care for visitors at 5am)

Made it safely, no snow but a bit of a frost. It was however snowing like a bitch in Frankfurt which meant sitting on the tarmac for over two hours as they'd closed one of the runways.

Snow today, followed by freezing rain. Looks like winter has finally started.

It's going to be 14 here tomorrow, are you not feeling some of that love?

Slightly nippy in Wakefield just now.

Cold in York, too! But it always is.

Ah, we were in York all this week I have a new sheep.