The weather has taken a turn, and about time with all the rain we have had. A few days of cold can’t do anyone any harm, and it is January – when we used to expect cold or frosty weather. Minus seven was forecast and then gradually getting warmer at night as the week progresses – or as the accursed BBC weather readers will have it “as we go through the week” – go through?

Out early as usual to feed the animals and it isn’t as raw cold at -5.9 as one might imagine. Everyone was chipper – the Donks were smiling, the dogs had their pyjamas on and the kennel heater was heating away. Once fed, George retired to the bedroom, but Rosie couldn’t be bothered and hunkered down on the daybed in the run. I pushed here into the kennel and she came back out again, happy as Rosie. Whether George passes wind or not I am unsure but she prefers her own company. Once the chores were done we then noticed the porch window which despite being double glazed was beautifully etched with ice.

Mother Donkey decided to have a poo having been fed, and out came very sweet smelling poo steaming as you might imagine.

Seeing the icy windows of course the memories came flooding back of early morning ice on the bedroom and indeed other windows. The curtains were stuck to them and had to be peeled off. The ice took an age to shift in the cold house, and often didn’t until late in the day if at all. Once it started to melt the windows then ran with moisture and it all pooled on the cills. Hard working Mothers like mine then had to use cloths placed strategically along the cill to soak up the moisture, then rung out to continue the operation several times. I can hear my Mother’s exasperation – and as I said it lasted for days on end.

With her hands in icy water more or less continually, and retrieving stiff clothes from the washing line, which early morning sun had kidded her to put outside to dry, but which didn’t and froze, she suffered from split thumbs which were painful and which were aggravated by more icy water. Coal was expensive (see gas from Russia) and fires were lit cautiously or frugally and what does one do with cold hands once indoors? Warm them which only made the pain worse.

The house was built in the early 1930’s and made full use of modern technological developments such as Crittall windows – leading metal framed window manufacturer. These conducted cold as well as heat and really seemed to make icing worse. The second home in Olton had wooden window frames which were better but still we had cloths on the cills which was not a good look for an ultra-modern house. Central heating and climate change have of course made these things a piece of history, but just a glance at the frost on the window brought it all back.