It is very cold everywhere in the UK at the moment.
We are in the grip of Storm Emma, which is bringing subzero temperatures and plenty of snow.
I have already written about snow on a boat (Christmas on a boat! With snow!)and about the issues with water (A boat drought?!) (we can’t fill up because the hose freezes and the outside tap is frozen). I am not going to write about the challenges of emptying chemical toilets when it is snowing and the disposal point has frozen, or even about the enjoyment of making tracks in the snow with the trolley and watching the falling snow rub them out! Or about icicles on the boat, or about the beautiful patterns the ice makes on the canopy window. You can guess all of that, I expect!
You also know about our decision to sell the car (For the love of the car, or not?). It was sold on Monday when it was cold, sunny and there were occasional snow flurries, and it seemed like a great idea! On Tuesday we walked (because we no longer had a car) to drop off the MOT certificate in a blizzard. Since then it has been incredibly cold and as snowy as Siberia! The cows have snow settling on their backs! The boats all have icicles on icicles. And we are walking everywhere! Yesterday, we walked to get tea bags and coal – we really needed them by the time we got back! Still, at least we’re staying fit!
Since you already know about the problems of snow on boats, I am going to tell you about Wombles! I am not sure whether The Wombles really traveled outside the UK, so for the benefit of readers in other countries, The Wombles was a fantastic TV programme aimed at preschool children in the 1970s. Wombles were small furry creatures who lived in Wimbledon common in London. They were the original ‘Eco Warriors’. They would travel around Wimbledon Common (as the title song says) ‘Making good use of the things that we find, the things that the everyday folk leave behind..’. They would collect things, take them into their burrow and turn them into things that were useful. We would call it Upcycling!
Mr BBB and a couple of friends have called me Womble for a while. Apparently, I look a bit Womble-like, when I have my coat and hat on. I wasn’t totally happy about this to start off with, I couldn’t see the similarities. I am short, but Wombles are much shorter. They are furry. They have long fox-like noses, and big ears. Then I thought about a bit more and I started to see what my friends meant. Wombles are quite cute little things. They are (almost) always happy and can always see the benefit of unwanted things. Maybe (forgetting the large ears and noses) it was a compliment.
I have decided to follow my inner womble. I wander around near the river collecting things most people don’t notice!
Currently, I am collecting pine cones and small/ medium pieces of wood to use on the burner. I will Womble around with a bag or a trolley looking for things, wearing my woolly hat, gloves and scarf! The wind has done a great job of blowing bits off the trees ready for me to collect!
While I accept that I am quite ‘Womble’, there are some differences (other than the visual ones!). When I go Wombling in the cold, I get colder than a polar bear with alopecia! Wombles don’t seem to mind. Their teeth chatter because they are cold, but they warm up very quickly. I think it’s to do with the fur. If I get very cold- I am cold for hours. It takes me ages to warm up. The best way to survive the cold and to get properly warm is a warm bath, but we don’t have a bath. So I have found that booking into a spa is the next best thing!
A lovely spa!
A few hours with saunas and jacuzzis/hydrotherapy baths has me all sorted again. It seems like a reasonable trade-off; bath for the occasional winter spa trip! I think a Womble in a spa would find it too hot and would smell of wet dog!
The second best way to survive the cold is a nice glass of something warming in a local pub, with a roaring open fire.
I have never seen an episode where the Wombles went to the pub! And I don’t think they drink alcohol. A drunk Womble is a strange thing to imagine! They are quite mad when they are sober!
I think channeling our inner womble is a good idea, Re-use what you can, and don’t be afraid to be creative! Stay positive- always see the use/benefit in things, people, and situations. Don’t be self-conscious, be practical! And work together.
But remember that you are not a womble- and do what it takes for a human to be warm! Enjoy the cosy nights by the fire and be grateful it doesn’t singe your fur!
Rachel- the hairless Womble!