[Victorian Farmer]

Well Sylvia minus 3 top temperature to day so glad the barns are done all stock in makes so much better .The sheep i bought back. Done there feet wormed fed and to day lots of feed and fuss .Should all be OK before the end of the month .They will winter in the barns and lamb in march .

[oor wullie]

Ah so I'm not the only one roughing it this winter 

I think there are a few of us.  We are in a caravan on a north facing croft halfway up a mountainside.  The ground has been white all but 2 or 3 days over the last 2 weeks.  The lowest indoor temperature so far this winter has been -6 but most mornings recently it has been -2 or -3 indoors.  Had to learn a few practical things about how to make things work eg. how to stop the door freezing shut and the bottom of the duvet freezing to the wall.

You really do get used to the cold and your body and brain adapt to cope with it.

Being out and about working on the croft keeps you warm all day.
Plenty clothes and a wooly hat are a must as is keeping dry.
I find I am eating a bit more that I used to (without putting on any weight).

In the old days the kitchen fire would be going from early morning to late night as it was needed for cooking, this would put a bit of warmth into the stones of the building.
The old blackhouses were probably not that badly insulated, 3ft thick walls with a turf core which would prevent drafts, a thick layer of thatch, earth floor (not nearly as cold on the feet as stone or concrete), low roofs and in the most basic houses no chimney (therefore no drafts (or insects as the house would be fumigated all the time), I guess lung cancer wasn't so high up peoples concerns then either!)

[mab]

The lowest indoor temperature so far this winter has been -6 but most mornings recently it has been -2 or -3 indoors.

  Yikes! my worst indoor temp is +6 which is positively cosy by comparison; I'd better stop complaining  .

I think your right about the old stone houses - the worst aspect of a caravan is the speed with which they go cold when the fire goes out (I've stocked up my caravan with storage heater bricks (on the stove) and containers of water to increase the thermal mass

[oor wullie]

The lowest indoor temperature so far this winter has been -6 but most mornings recently it has been -2 or -3 indoors.

  Yikes! my worst indoor temp is +6 which is positively cosy by comparison; I'd better stop complaining  .

I think your right about the old stone houses - the worst aspect of a caravan is the speed with which they go cold when the fire goes out (I've stocked up my caravan with storage heater bricks (on the stove) and containers of water to increase the thermal mass

Yes, In the evenings we can get a quite comfortable +15 with the heater on but, despite the loft insulation ratchet strapped to the roof and straw bales around the edge, the heat is all gone by morning.  I guess the opposite of an old house which might take weeks to warm up but should still have some residual warmth in the thick stone walls come morning time.

[Mel]

My personal opinion,

Today there are too many wooses! in those days people seemed much harder against the elements, you know, they do say~ even to me, "get some blood in yer bones" , especially when I visit friends in Scotland, I have to say the Scots are used to horrendously cold weather!

My Hungarian relatives speak of winters minus 20 and summers 120+, I really cannot understand why they keep asking me to go over every year! I find myself excusing myself politely!

Brrr, it is cold here today hehe!

[MAK]

And I thought that we had endured some tough times in the cold. You guys in a caravan must have daily struggles to keep warm, have water and eat never mind looking after animals. Hats off to you all !

Today we celebrate 2 years in a stone farm house in the middle of France. Photos of the day we moved in show the snow, basic living quarters and an upstairs grannary. We slept on an air bed and fed the wood burning cooker throughout the night to keep warm.
year - 1 we had worked on the house a lot despite a hot summer and insulated it and replaced broken windows. We converted the attic grannary into our bedroom. Despite -24 in winter, no water for weeks it was not too bad.
year 2 - got my slippers on in front of a roaring fire ( wood cut and chopped by me) and we are drinking champagne.
 

[Catweazle]

In the sixties Mum got tired of ironing flannel sheets and bought some fitted nylon sheets from Brentford Nylons.  Great for her but they were astonishingly cold to get into, as were the nylon shirts that we had at school.

I had man-made pyjamas too,  I used to get right under the sheets so it was completely dark then move my arms and legs around to see the little blue flashes of static electricity.

[Lesley Silvester]

In the sixties Mum got tired of ironing flannel sheets and bought some fitted nylon sheets from Brentford Nylons.  Great for her but they were astonishingly cold to get into, as were the nylon shirts that we had at school.

I had man-made pyjamas too,  I used to get right under the sheets so it was completely dark then move my arms and legs around to see the little blue flashes of static electricity.

Such simple entertainment we had in those days.    At least if you caught light, you wouldn't burn but your PJs would have melted to the sheets.

[jaykay]

Ha, I had a favourite red jumper as a little girl, that make sparks when I took it off in the dark and made my hair stand on end - such fun 

[Victorian Farmer]

  On Thursday went to fetch some sheep dawn from the hill it was minus 12 took all day it then started snowing .It was very hard ,you folks living in caravans would be tested in keeping warm .I do hope you have a Merry Christmas in the caravan and have a good day .If you lived by me you could come round for dinner and have some fun .To you all that are having it hard take care things will get better have a nice day.

[cleopatra]

we havent used the central heating at all this year , just the woodstove in one room, but in the bedroom, which just been repainted, theres alot of water droplets on the ceiling by the windows, so much its leaving puddles and discolouring the walls. any ideas to stop this without resorting to putting the radiators back on? or stopping
breathing maybe?
ta

[colliewoman]

I really do thing that those of us living in a caravan (or truck) have it easier to keep warm. A small space heats quickly on less fuel. I'm sat here now in just a tshirt and the burner is just ticking over nice and slowly   toasty warm (but equally, I'm not in Scotland)

[lachlanandmarcus]

we havent used the central heating at all this year , just the woodstove in one room, but in the bedroom, which just been repainted, theres alot of water droplets on the ceiling by the windows, so much its leaving puddles and discolouring the walls. any ideas to stop this without resorting to putting the radiators back on? or stopping
breathing maybe?
ta

If you feel flush you could get a dehumidifier (electric) or if not, you can get little tubs with water absorbing crystals (evil Tesco sell them for £1 and refills for £1 too) which will absorb a bit. But really dehumidifier unless ventilation can be improved. Iwill have a heat recovery system - they mean no need for all the individual vents thank goodness.

[cleopatra]

[/quote]
 
If you feel flush you could get a dehumidifier (electric) or if not, you can get little tubs with water absorbing crystals (evil Tesco sell them for £1 and refills for £1 too) which will absorb a bit. But really dehumidifier unless ventilation can be improved. Iwill have a heat recovery system - they mean no need for all the individual vents thank goodness.
[/quote]

thanks, i didnt know you could get them. i will try them. this room faces north so never gets a sunbeam.
i could open the window for ventilation but its just a wet outside as in, as wer on ground level 

[Ina]

I have a dehumidifer - it does make a difference, and I think it makes it feel warmer in the house, too. Wouldn't get any washing dry otherwise! Ventilation is all very well - but if the humidity is around 70% indoors (normal for me), and between 80 and 98% outdoors (as it is at the moment) - ventilation will only make it more humid in the house! Must admit, there's quite a few slightly mouldy patches around doors and in the corners by now... Must have a good wash round with bleach or so one of these days.