Well it's not quite December yet, and Winter has officially swept the United Kingdom with sub-zero temperatures, ice and snow in alot of the countryside. It began on Wednesday this week and continues to get colder, and colder, and colder, and colder!!
It's much colder than a winter I've ever experienced before (apart from the times where I've actually gone to the snow for snowboarding), where you can see your breath no matter what time of the day, no matter if it is cloudy or brilliant sunshine (which it has been deceptively doing lately!). As I am writing the temperature is 0 degrees but it feels like -4 according to the forecast. In the upcoming week, Manchester is predicted to have temperatures between -3 to +3 degrees. So pretty cold!! The paths on the streets have ice on them, the leaves on the streets have ice on them, the cars are covered in ice. ice ice ice. So far I haven't managed to stack it yet (how that is a miracle) but I have seen other people go flying. Yesterday morning when I was coming home from a run I helped a lady who was inside her car, to get the door open as it was frozen shut!!! I think this weather is the only time I have ever, in my entire life been able to run in the middle of the day with long pants and a jumper on!! Normally I'd overheat. At night (and most of the time during the day as well) gloves are a necessity to run as well. I don't care how unfashionable it is, but there is no way that i am going out at night without at least 2 layers of jumpers/cardigans/jackets gloves beanies etc. no way!!!
I am still in Manchester at the moment. As of yesterday I have been upgraded in the house to my own room and bed!! Very exciting times. I was trying to figure it out last night, but I think since October I have slept on a couch for 5 days, the floor for approximately 40 days and had a bed for approximately 14 days! It has been a bit varied.
There was another breakdown moment for me this week - this time I blame my car! I had done all the chasing around sorting out what I was going to do with it and where I could store it while back in Australia, and then went to MOT it. FAIL. Big fail. On like 8 accounts. To repair it, the guy quoted at least 90% of the cost of what I bought the thing for! So now I have to figure out how i'm going to get rid of it, sell it, scrap it without losing too much cost. The MOT runs out on the 13th of December. Subsequently I spent about 2 hours in tears feeling very sorry for myself, wondering whether the mechanic had played with my car, what to do, who to turn to, where to get help. A right mess I was! All better now though.
Well I now know what I am doing for the next month!! Yay. Which means, that I now only need to figure out my movements beween the 22nd and 26/27th of December when I need to be in Prague before heading to Dubai on route to Australia. So slowly getting there! I've just booked tickets today to go to southern spain (but apparently it's raining which is a shame - hopefully it will clear up) to do some volunteer workaway/wwoofing work on the southern coast in a little town that I can't remember the name of, between Seville and Malaga. Should be fun, a bit different. I'm going to be doing a whole bunch of gardening work, getting a vege garden up and running, walking dogs, looking after cottages, a random mix of things which should be good. Some thing different, a change of scenery. Fingers crossed warmer (and not wet)!
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