Friday 1 December 2023
Yeah, it’s definitely winter. The app on my computer is telling me that it’s -6°C and outside is white from frost on snow on frost. I’m sitting in my office with the oil-filled radiator on and I’m still cold. I am wearing wrist warmers and my hands are still cold. I got up fairly early with a view to starting work fairly early. Instead, it has been with great joy that I have chosen seats for my flight to Doha (work) and checked out the weather forecast (low of 20°C, high of 29°C and sunshine). I know I’ll be stuck inside an air conditioned room every day I’m there, but just knowing that outside is sunny and warm will bring me joy. Now hoping the job doesn’t cancel and I don’t get snowed in and can’t get to London (where all my work clothes are) to catch my flights. Oh, and there are train strikes on the days I need to use trains.
It’s either an age thing or I’ve pulled something, but I appear to have a hip issue. I don’t have a history of hip issues. I walked 10,000 steps yesterday but I’m wondering whether to just aim for 5,000 today in case my hip needs rest rather than exercise. No one enjoys something like that happening to them, obviously, but it’s forced me to reflect on how important it is for me to exercise and go outdoors. It’s not just the need to do something active (I don’t do any sport and only sporadically do stretches), it’s the walking. So much of my time spent outdoors while walking is spent thinking about what I’m currently writing or editing and I’m sure that I solve most of my work problems while walking and talking to myself. Standing outdoors just doesn’t produce the same results.
After my walk yesterday, I went to check on our water tank. I’m hoping that I have got the tap right. Instead of the water level having dropped and no water coming out, there now seems to be a bit too much water flowing. But with temperatures like this, maybe that’s about right. I closed the tap ever so slightly and I feel that if all is okay with it today, I can leave it. This time last year, we hadn’t even stood outside the tank, let alone looked inside it or altered the taps. Oblivion seemed to work. Until it all started to go wrong in January when we filled the [expletive] hot tub and inadvertently emptied the tank, which then caused air locks and, well, pretty much six months of various and ongoing water supply problems. Please, please tell me that was just a deep-end learning curve and we have now experienced all water-related problems. Yeah, no, I’m not convinced.
My car is fitted with winter tyres now, which I’m very pleased about in this weather. However, I’m one of those people who likes to go out early and come back correspondingly early. Living here in wintery conditions, it’s a lot better to go out later. Tomorrow, I have some errands in Selkirk and Galashiels and it’s forecast to be pretty much like this again, sub-zero, frosty and icy. Adapt, adapt, adapt. Go out at 11 instead of 8.30. Sigh.