It's Snowing

neverdespairgirl

Sadly, all gone in WC1, but it's pretty cold outside, and a night for warm duvets.

moanymoany

neverdespairgirl wrote: »

I meant, get them to go home!

We now have an inch or more of snow on the roads and pavements and cars in WC1. Very unusual in October, I'd have thought.

First time in 70 years - so they said this am on the tele.

Back in the 60's and 70's winters in London were always freezing. October, November and December were cold and frosty, the snow usually arrived in January and stayed on and off for three months.
It was HORRID.

If we are going back to cold winters I'm going to spend my retirement winters on the med!

lostinrates

I don't use CH, but my mother does....walking out of our room i like being taken from fridge to pot....I feel like a lobster!

Sue, really....this is not a good situation, I'm so sorry. To minimise bills can you turn just turn on the relevant rad/s (presumably your youngest's bedroom or the sitting room?) to make him(?) comfortable? Perhaps your 'charming' ex's mother could lean on him for a contribution to the heating bill, or some food. I hope your child picks up soon.

SingleSue

Thanks Lostinrates....

Usually on a really cold snap we decamp to my parents house for a few hours where they put the heating on loads and feed us up....but they decided to go to their caravan this week (goodness knows what has got into them, it's freezing in one of them at the best of times!)

Last year, when the prices started rising, we did the thing of only having on the essential rads and cutting down the amount of time they were on and that was expensive enough, this year with even more price rises, goodness knows what we are going to do. The kids were always moaning about how cold it was last year and quilts/blankets were a permanent feature in the front room.

I suppose I am feeling the pinch a wee bit more the last couple of weeks as having a child in hospital (especially when you have other children) is not a cheap exercise and any buffer I had built up has gone in meeting those expenses.

As for ex paying more? Hmmm, well he seems to think he gives me enough (not even half of what the CSA site says he should!) and I doubt he would be willing to part with anymore pennies as it would seriously impact on his ability to buy more computer games or weekends away! :mad:

We'll get through it just like we did last winter, I will ebay and bootsale a few items more...and throw more blankets on the sofas! :rotfl:

jamescredmond

moanymoany wrote: »

First time in 70 years - so they said this am on the tele.

Back in the 60's and 70's winters in London were always freezing. October, November and December were cold and frosty, the snow usually arrived in January and stayed on and off for three months.
It was HORRID.

If we are going back to cold winters I'm going to spend my retirement winters on the med!

observations taken from the met office, london.

I can promise you that it snowed in leics, briefly, early oct. last yr.

and this prat was on a golf course at the time!

lostinrates

SingleSue wrote: »

. The kids were always moaning about how cold it was last year and quilts/blankets were a permanent feature in the front room.

You see, thats what we do too, and I love it. Hot watr bottles added if necessary (to be fiar though we use the pets for that.....the cats luckily like bing under the duvets)

What happens when CSA payment recommendations aren't met, is there no kind of enforcement?

As I say to my s-i-l who used to moan about the cold when staying with us, if you are cold it is your bodies way of telling you you aren't pulling your weight in household chores. Perhaps your kids can do some hoovering or something else with a low chance of injury but that can be quite physical? Shoe cleaning?

Anyway, good luck, (wish there was something more useful than sympathising that one could do:()

carolt

Kids been out sledging.

Hurrah for snow at half term!

SingleSue

Thanks Lostinrates..nah don't worry, I am not the sort to want sympathy anyway, tends to make people maudlin and feel sorry for themselves! (Ok I am in the feeling sorry for myself mood at the moment but it will pass :rotfl: )

As for the CSA, still waiting for them to sort themselves out, I merely went on the CSA page where they have a ready reckoner for payments where you have to put in the absent parents salary and time they have them.

We had a great way to warm ourselves up last year...we would make a tent city out of the all the quilts and blankets in the front room and then play going camping, by the time we were halfway through, we were all nice and toasty - unfortunately, youngest is not quite up to that sort of thing at the moment but once he is, then we will do it again...it's great fun! :T

GracieP

Do you have a fireplace? Could you collect wood and light fires? Maybe get some thick heavy curtains 2nd-hand and hang them over the windows and doors to cut down on draughts. Although leave all south facing windows uncovered during the daylight to allow as much heat to build up in them as possible. No good on dull days, but on days with winter sun a south facing room can be quite toasty. Just make sure the doors are kept closed all the time so the heat doesn't escape.

Arrange the furniture so it centers on the radiators. If there is a couch/curtain in front of a heater it will absorb all of the heat so move things around. I know it's awful, but when I was growing up we never had the heating on as my parent's couldn't afford oil. We had a fire in the livingroom, hot water bottles and that was it. In some ways it was nice as it kept all the family together in the winter as opposed to spread all over the house.

IveSeenTheLight

neverdespairgirl wrote: »

did that come as a nasty surprise....?

Hope Mrs ISTL is well, as is the future baby ISTL.

All is going very well, thanks for asking.
Just past the half way point and according to the scans all is going very well.
It's very exiting, we feel the baby move everyday which is great.
Can't wait till the big day.

I still love the snow, I'm just a big kid really