Okay, now it's cold. 

I've quipped my way through the 40's and high 30's--to the annoyance of those around me--saying how much colder it gets in NY and observing that I don't have to shovel rain.  But for the past two mornings, the thermometer has stood at 0 degrees (that's 32 degrees Fahrenheit, to us Yanks) and I have to admit, I am feeling the cold. 

Granted, this really would be considered mild in upstate NY but the truth is, while I lived in the US, I didn't have a very close relationship with the climate.  On an average day, I would walk from my apartment to my car and from my car to my office (okay, and from my car to the bar, and after that the temperature became moot).  In short, I didn't spend a lot of time outside. 

Here, in a blustery, zero-degree dawn, I take a 10-minute walk so I can stand at the bus stop, then ride an hour or so on a drafty bus before spending the entire day in my office where heat appears to be something of an afterthought.  It's not quite like Bob Cratchitt trying to warm himself over a single candle flame, but it's close. 

My landlord, too, has not been overly extravagant in the upkeep and modernization department.  When we moved in my wife marveled at the two ancient storage heaters and cast a skeptical eye on the single-glazed, metal-framed windows.  They did not disappoint.

The end result is, I'm always cold.  Not freezing, like I would be in NY, just cold.

To combat this, we went out and bought another heater last weekend.  It cost sixty quid and hasn't made a bit of difference.  It stands in our previously heaterless bedroom--it's control panel glowing reassuringly while producing absolutely no discernable heat--a testimony to British engineering and our gullibility. 

I have to say, it's odd finding myself in a situation where I can't simply turn the thermostat up.  There is no thermostat and the heaters we have, for all there pathetic output, are already on 'high.'

The traditional response to this situation, which Britain's have been doing for centuries, is to dress warm and wait for spring.  That doesn't really appeal to me, however, so I think, despite the fact that we threw money at the problem and it didn't go away, we'll throw some more money at the problem and see if it will go away this time (good God, I'm turning into a Liberal!).

My vision is an apartment littered with little heaters, and an electric bill the size of a National Lottery jackpot.  But at least we'll be warm.