Lest I forget: How we lived through winter.

As I am writing this the ice and icicles are falling off the trees and roofs. We have been icebound for the last 2 days. The days before the freezing rain, we have been dry but cold, with temperature below 0 Celsius. Then the warm moisture moved in from the south and the cold front from the north. There was enough moisture to have a thunderstorm. The rain started to fall accompanied intermittently by lightning and thunder. It rained the whole night which then freeze into ice the moment it touches the cold surface. The next morning sleet has started to fall and accumulating onto the ice. I thought it was going to snow, but it did not. The sleet covered the ground about 4 inches thick. The cold temperature compacted the sleet and ice and it became one hard surface, nice to slide.

This afternoon the temperature got above freezing, and thus the beautiful ice crystals are falling to the ground. I can hear the sound. Thus I felt like writing about my first winter experience.

Coming from Malaysia where 15 degree Celsius is considered cold, London 5C was extremely cold. London is actually not very cold if not for the humidity and the wind that comes with it. Where I live now 5C is actually pleasant to go out without a heavy coat. Winter time where I live now is very pleasant because it is dry and only occasionally when there is extra moisture in the air, we get snow. Otherwise we manage to live below freezing for weeks with no problem. The problem begins when there is warm air and moisture comes from the south and then we are in big trouble. We will have ice storm like today where drizzles and rain freezes the moment it reaches the frozen ground. I t is hard to explain to my young nieces and nephews that we are cold but no snow. Everyone of them expects it to snow the moment we move into winter months.

I arrived in London in the Autumn. The real bitter winter was not yet to come. I was prepared with thick and warm clothing but was not prepared with sleeping in the cold room at night. We had many layers of blankets but none of then kept me warm. Thus the fun of feeding the gas meter with coins. The coins ran out fast and I was still cold. Then I decided to get a sleeping bag and a hot water bottle. Throw the hot water bottle filled with hot water inside the sleeping bag to make it warm before getting inside it. Then snuggled inside and sleep good. The heater made me dry and I would keep a bottle of water to drink by the bed.

The houses we students could afford were the cheap ones and were always drafty. There was no proper heating system, and since were poor we had no choice but to live in those run down houses.

The wind, oh the wind the gusts could easily blown me away. At 89 pounds, I was skinny. I usually carry a bag full of my stuff and a long black umbrella as a walking stick. The umbrella came in handy when it rained and as well as a protection.

I lived through 2 winters in London but we did not see snow even though there was plenty of rain. We had some dusting of snow on the grass, but nothing like a 10 inches accumulation. Minimal of snow but plenty of rain. dreary weather, cloudy and very few sunny days. London was gray and depressing in winter.

We were hard up to experience snow, so the first winter during the Christmas holidays, my friends and I rented a car and drove up north. My first roommate, her brother and sister in law (parents to a national bowling champion) drove up to Scotland. (This couple loved to bowl in London). We stopped at a few places and slept the Christmas night in Edinburgh. There was no snow there, so drove on until the the northernmost town and drove across the lakes including Loch Lomond to Fort Williams.

We stopped at a small skiing town near Aviemore to go skiing. We stayed at a bed and breakfast for a couple of nights. I remembered falling many times on the slope. It was an experience.