Preparing for Winter V

mardatha

THIRZAH when I grew up, everybody had chilblains and what we called "fireside tartan" - the red/purple mottled legs from sitting too close to the fire.

Laura_Elsewhere

kittie wrote: »

THIRZAH wrote: »

1962, I was 14 and had one pair of shoes, we had to walk through very deep slush and stay in those shoes and soaking socks all day. We walked about 3/4 mile home for dinner, helped with the dishes and then walked back

When I started doing historical re-enactment I was horrified that there seemed to be no such thing as boots for women in the 17th century. Then I discovered most people had nothing resembling boots. They had shoes, simple plain shoes with a little 1/2-inch block heel.

Then I discovered what is now largely forgotten except by people like re-enactors in wet parts of the country - if you get wet feet in woollen stockings and lather shoes then you don't actually lose heat like you do with synthetic socks or non-leather shoes.
I'm not saying it's incredibly pleasant - but it certainly isn't as cold as you'd expect.

I finished secondary in 1987 and it was the same for me, knee-length skirt, over-the-knee fine-wool socks with elastic garters, leather shoes with a sensible low heel and a strap across with a button. And I remember getting home frozen especially hands, because we moved to Scotland in 1979 and I had no practice with cold wet weather. Terrible chilblains that first winter til Gran found out I was plunging my frozen hands into a basin of hot water to warm them, oops - NEVER do that, it's how to create chilblains!

But once I'd realised that about the heat not being sucked out of your feet if you have leather shoes and wool socks, I realised that I remember my feet being wet, not being cold. It worked for centuries and centuries, after all. They knew how to make boots, and people like foresters and ploughmen who worked in very muddy situations wore them (probably more to do with not losing the footwear in the mud), but they really weren't worn widely. So either having wet feet wasn't too bad, or people were thick for centuries.

Laura_Elsewhere

THIRZAH wrote: »

At least these days little girls can wear trousers for school.

Give me a skirt any day over trousers! Esp the thin synthetic things my nieces both wore throughout their school years recently - brr!

I wear skirts all winter and never have cold legs - mid-calf, full skirts, with a petticoat if it's really cold. In 2010-11, Edinburgh had snow every day for six weeks, the entire city ground to a halt, even the post and supermarket deliveries all stopped. And the men all started wearing kilts and I wore my big skirts and we were all cosy!

Unless you get into salopettes or insulated hiking trousers, I reckon trousers are about the coldest thing you can wear in winter - no air to insulate!

Lucy5781

Have to drive Herts to Kent north coast on Tuesday to deal with solicitors regarding my mum's estate. (Little brother is driving)

Hoping the worst of the snow here holds off until the evening and Wednesday. Be 33 weeks pregnant. Notes coming with me obviously!!

[Deleted User]

Chilblains were a fact of winter life in childhood as there was no alternative to getting them. I had hand me down wellingtons but they did nothing about the cold and although the socks we had were woollen they were thin and so were our winter coats. Knitted gloves and hat did very little to keep you warm either. One thing I'm grateful for is the development of modern technical winter and waterproofs, fleeces and wicking socks, thermal base layers, gloves, hats and scarves make life bearable when we get really cold. Sheepskin hats, gloves and slippers also (if you've got the cash and they are expensive) make life cosier and are a long term investment as they last years.

fuddle

My slippers are Primark. They have lasted (well they haven't I've drawn the them out) for 14 months. They offer my feet nothing in terms of warmth, infact the opposite as they give me sweaty cold feet which I detest. My next pair will be sheepskin and never shall I return to cheap even if they last-ish.

I've been after sheepskin slippers for years and now it's not just a want because as a housewife I've learned that they're really quite a necessity.

[Deleted User]

Lambland Moccassins with a hard sole and a sheepskin fluff lining are £17.99 and free postage on Ebay. I've run with various pairs for umpteen years now, different colours sometimes come up cheaper, I've a pair of royal blue ones that were much reduced waiting in the wardrobe for this pair to wear out! I like the ones that have a tartan cloth lining rather than fluff as I can wear them in the summer too!

Laura_Elsewhere

Unexpected jam-making in the next few days - trying to find more room in our very little freezer, I discovered we have a whole load of yellow Mirabelle little plums, foraged back in September when we ran out of jam jars. We've now eaten quite a few jam tarts so I shall move the Mirabelles from being stored in the freezer to being stored in some jars

We have very thick slipper socks which I knit huge and floppy, very loose on big needles so they are about 14 inches long, and then wash at 40 degrees a few times and carefully tumble dry and they end up thick and dense and as warm as if they have a heat-source inside! I have some mittens I made in the same way, almost windproof when cycling

Primrose

Just hoping our ancient central heating boiler will last until the warmer weather when we plan to replace it as manufacturer stopped making spare parts for it several years ago.


When it's really cold I wear thick opaque tights under my trousers for extra insulation. It's a struggle to get them on but at least they will withstand a lot more brutal "yanking up" than the thin see-through ones which I always seem to ladder putting them on at the first attempt to wear them !

Fingerless woollen gloves also help keep hands warm when using a laptop when it's cold. Sitting still for long periods doesn't help. My wristwatch step counter buzzes every 60 minutes if I've been sitting stationery as a reminder to get up and walk around for a bit.

flubberyzing

When it's really cold, I wear leggings under my trousers, and that makes a huge difference! I shall be doing it this coming week! Snow due on Tuesday according to Mr Weatherman!