Winter

1.

This is by far the coldest winter I’ve experienced in my three years in Manchester.

I remember that I was wearing just a sweater right up to mid-November 2008. But I was wearing my long black coats by the same time last year.

Not to mention I think I only wore my brown calf leather jacket like twice because it got too cold, too quickly.

2.

It’s so so so so cold.

When I left Singapore, it must have been about 30 C.

Friday morning, it was –10 C when I stepped out of the plane, and snow everywhere. All I had was a wool sweater. I thought I’d never be warm again after that.

I came home, and climbed into bed and stayed there until I could feel my toes again. And my ears too.

It seemed like a perfectly rational thing to do at the time, never mind the fact that I was starving.

3.

It’s not negative degrees any more. This I can tell because my ears no longer hurt when I’m outdoors.

And the snow, it is melting.

4.

The snow is now that dreadful thing called Slush.

I hate Slush even more than I hate snow, but I think less than I hate sleet.

5.

The slush has refrozen into ice. I am ice-skating in regular, non-ice-skating boots.

It is a lot of fun. Especially the part where you skid/skedaddle your way with 2 bags and a bunch of groceries. But as an exercise, it leaves much to be desired.

6.

The ice is melting too. But not quickly enough.

Melting ice water on top of ice leads to Shinkansen* speed skidding/skedaddling.

(If you are meant to be part of my audience, you will appreciate the lovely alliteration, bolded for your admiration.)

7.

Tomorrow, I shall appreciate the rapidly melting ice from comfort and warmth of my bed, with 13.5 tog duvet.

*I do believe that the new Chinese trains between their major cities will be or are faster, however,  in the face of alliteration, even accuracy must falter.