Preparing for Winter V

mardatha

I like winter too MrsL... long dark nights cosied up beside the fire

[Deleted User]

Well, we lit the stove last night and were toasty warm very quickly, it came up to heat very quickly and the eco fan we got to fit the space (very small) on top was very effective and made a big difference. It's a little odd in that we opted for an actual wood burner and not a multi fuel and it has a solid burning plate at the bottom rather than the slotted metal one with a 'riddler' in it so we're having to learn a new technique in getting the fire 'away' when we first light up. Once it's going though it's very effective and throws out a very decent amount of heat. Our ability to run it well will improve as we get to know it and it's little foibles!

shoei

Last night we finally got all the new radiators on and running... at 11.30pm!

Th one in the kitchen is not getting warm so I think that is an air lock but all the others are toasty hot!

I had a fire in all afternoon yesterday and managed to get some clothes dry overnight on the airer.

I had my niece and nephew at the weekend who are only 3 and 5 so are still at the age where they like to do jobs! So I got them to plant some bulbs and sweep the yard for me!!!

Sunday I made 2 more Christmas cakes and dried some oranges for my wreath

Novice_investor101

It's been a cold, wet and miserable day in South Yorks.
Temp has really dropped outdoors and i could tell the difference when i got in at 2pm today - heating had been off and the temp indoors had dropped to about 16c.
Turned the heating on straight away to get the house back up to 18c, which only took about an hour until the thermostat clicked off again. It's come back on again about 30 minutes ago so the house seems to be holding the heat in well. Sitting with the hot water bottle helped no end too.

It was a bit depressing drawing the curtains at about 3.30pm as it was so dull I had to turn the lights on indoors!

Primrose

I am digging the thermals out now to wear indoors, along with thick tights to wear under my trousers indoors. Despite double glazing we're now drawing the curtains as soon as the daylight fades - it does seem to make a difference to room temperatures. However, no longer being a spring chicken I,ve decided that as long as we have money in the bank, once I,ve amply insulated my body and done the practical things, I'm not going to sit all evening and shiver!

Laura_Elsewhere

Still not even frosty here, but we are fine and cosy with a 9- or 10-tog duvet and a throw over that, with the Victorian 'stone pig' hot water bottle staying hot for 10 hours overnight

As the winter progresses, we can add the summer duvet, buttoning its corners onto the winter one, to make iirc 13.5 tog, and we're a Welsh blanket we can add, too. Even last year when it hit -12C overnight we didn't feel cold at night, and I was still opening all the windows wide for a few minute each day, and we still didn't need the heating on! We are lucky, I think...

For me, daytime warmth comes from layers and natural fibres - I wear cotton leggings, under long, mid-calf, full skirts, usually with a similar petticoat under, and long cotton socks up to my knees, with ankle-socks I knit from wool, and either shoes or ankle-boots, leather in either case; on top I wear long-sleeved cotton tops, adding a cotton vest as it gets chillier, or in really bitter weather a fine wool vest; and a wool jumper on top, or wool cardigan.
I very rarely need a jacket or coat, usually only a gilet will do me out walking to the shops each morning, with hat and cowl and gloves knitted from wool.

I love winter!!!

Wednesday2000

I have pulled the downstairs curtains already as it makes it feel warmer.:)

I just put on my pyjama top and my flannel shirt over the leggings I was wearing. Fluffy socks too.:cool:

fuddle

Laura your winter get up is exactly what I have in mind for myself. It will be a long process because I'm using up what I have before I replace but when I do they will be investment pieces made up of natural fibres.

What are your skirts made out of? I am after mid calf woollen one but I need DH to earn a bonus before I can even contemplate paying the price!

Curtains are drawn around now each night. The stove is lit when the temp says we should. We're keeping on top of the wood stocks. I'm saving letter envelops to add to the fire start up.

The cold aiis effecting my asthma. I don't go anywhere without a scarf over the my mouth but it's a battle I'm on the verge of losing. I take a lot of steroid inhalers which I'm not happy about but needs must. Another main one for me is drinking a lot of fluids to keep the mucus that is produced thin and easy to expell.

Novice_investor101

It's perishing outside tonight. Just put the rubbish out & there's frost on the bins.
Heatings on & turned up. I'm not skimping when it's freezing out.
Tomorrow I'm doing a full clean of the house so doors and windows will be open to get some fresh air in.

& I'll finally be going in the cellar fixing up those insulation boards. Might also pop to B&Q to get some pipe lagging for the water pipes down there, although there's never been a problem before.

The two HM door curtains on the draughty back door are working a treat. One is just a cheap fleece blanket, but it does an incredible job of keeping the heat & cold at opposite sides of it!
I need to do the same for the front door - it has a curtain, but it's a dense cotton so less effective.

Laura_Elsewhere

fuddle wrote: »

Laura your winter get up is exactly what I have in mind for myself. It will be a long process because I'm using up what I have before I replace but when I do they will be investment pieces made up of natural fibres.

What are your skirts made out of? I am after mid calf woollen one but I need DH to earn a bonus before I can even contemplate paying the price!

My two main winter skirts cost me virtually nothing, so maybe you can get lucky too? Can you sew, though?

One is silk, which was a piece of dark grey silk that had faint yellowing marks from UV light, enough to make it no good for a formal posh thing, so I thought I'd try it as an everyday skirt and it's turned out incredibly resilient, hard-wearing and I've dug trenches to clear flooded ditches, gone foraging, you name it, my trusty old grey silk has done it. A bit past its best now, on its third winter... 3 yards box-pleated onto a narrow waistband, and huge box-pockets sewn on top.
The other is black fine wool, the stuff used for gents' suiting - I was given six yards of it by a friend, because it had been mouse-nibbled on the folded edges of the bale, so she couldn't use it - so I just worked round the nibbled bits (!) and made a heavy skirt with good big pockets in each side-seam, a wrap-around with a good big overlap so I don't flash my legs with each step!

With both, if it gets colder, I wear a long petticoat I made from a £4-reduced sheet in aubergine-purple, edged with bright deep pink organza 1/4-inch ribbon to cheer the dark purple up!

Or find someone who does sew - both those skirts were incredible simple to make...