bil

You reckon? Bacteria laugh at cold, and have been found living happily in solid ice that has been frozen at serious minus numbers for thousands of years.

HBG

I’ve been caught on the A9 in Perthshire when that big gate swings across the road and I’ve been stuck in the Cairngorms for days, but looking at some old photographs, I have to dress more warmly here in Spain just to get to Mercadona, which I’m about to do.

I don’t think it’s layers that matter, my former thick skin has been replaced by a thin layer of brown stuff that shivers at anything below eight degrees, sun or not. And it has just gone down.

mikelincs

Two elderly people frozen to death in their gardens.
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20101203...d-6323e80.html

while the silly season abounds.. with abuse of 999 service..

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/22/20101203...n-1df2b7e.html

lunacrout

I just want to say that I'm COLD COLD COLD!!!

Living room's at it's highest temp of the day now at 15 degrees (at 11pm) that's with the calor gas heater on all day, plus an electric convector heater on for the past 4 hours - I blame the stupidly high ceilings mainly!

Anyway - I'm off to crawl under my duvet with hot water bottle inside - complete with thermal PJs and 2 pairs of socks - oh how I miss my UK flat with underfloor heating

xxfrecklesxx

Best way to get warm.... get an electric blanket, I love mine,

Dick Dasterdly

It kills of many and prevents the rest from developing or multiplying, otherwise what would be the point of fridges and freezers ?

agoreira

I have to be honest, the heating you mention is pretty ineffective without excellent insulation etc, I'm not surprised you're freezing. I haven't underfloor heating here, but everything else, and it's warm as toast here! We stayed once in Montefrío in May! (not for nothing do they call it cold mountain!) and it was the coldest week we have ever spent anywhere, unbelievably cold.

bil

Nope. It doesn't kill them. It only slows them down. Seriously, what shags bacteria is dryness, heat and pH extremes.

steviedeluxe

I think the point is it stops the bacteria multiplying. Take a chicken out of the fridge and a few hours later they start multiplying again - they haven't been killed!

A top temperature of minus two in west London (where I work) today. But the lack of wind means it feels milder, despite the fact the canals are now freezing over. I've seen cars tonight in central London with snow covering their windscreen - just too cold to thaw even here. Very rare to see that in central London. The forecast is now for cold nights and milder days (up to 3 or 4C) - so long as the fog doesn't come down. A respite for now

bil

Even there, it doesn't stop them completely. Put the chicken in the fridge, and when it comes out there will be more than when you put it in. If that wasn't true, then you could keep meat in the fridge indefinitely like you can in the freezer. You can't. After a while the chicken will stink the fridge out. Bacterial rates of reproduction in a proper freezer is as close to zero as makes no odds.

Dick Dasterdly

Finally got my car dug out today by a friendly JCB driver and drove down town.
I thought strange, how come my car is the only one with over two foot of snow on the roof,... until a couple of locals warned me that the cops considered it to be a serious offence, and were running around dishing out 60 quid on the spot fines.

Every cloud has a silver lining, my lad's out with his tractor, snowploughing for the local council, all the hours that God sends.

Just been out walking the hound in the snow.
Beautiful clear,crisp evening and minus quite a few degrees.
As the Swedes say,there's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes.

bil

Trust me, the weather is still bad, no matter what you wear.

No amount of clothing will prevent you needing to have your car dug out like that.

Interestingly this is the first year ever that I have heard of Plod doing people for snowy car roofs.

steviedeluxe

best keep that one quiet - there's a poster here who (perhaps rightly) has a bee in his bonnet about this tendency...

Dick Dasterdly

So I presume you have no use in your house for fridges or freezers ?

Dick Dasterdly

Trust me,variety is the spice of life.

I've enjoyed lots of years in warm sunny climes, however I also find it very pleasant at well below zero with a covering of snow, light,bright and crisp especially the nights, just as it used to be when I'd be out hunting most of the night walking on several feet of frozen snow with not a fence,wall or hedge in sight,only the odd tree showing above the snow.

Much the same in Sweden, where many of the locals yearn for the colder brighter Winters like they used to have.

Wasn't at all desperate to get the car dug out, but when the guy was handy I thought I might just as well.

As I say variety is the spice.
I'm right out in the sticks in Spain and love it there, but still enjoy a few mad days down in Beni, just once in a while.

Oh, and if the cold and snow is so terrible as you say,how come many millions make a bee-line for the alps and similar in mid-Winter every year, when they could just as easily use their dosh for a holiday in the sun ?