autumn nights

[ColinJ]

I'm married to the world's coldest woman so the woodburner has been lit about a dozen times in the evenings for the last two months. Even in warm sunny weather she will be wearing a scarf and a sweater and complaining about the cold. This morning it's 9 degrees but the CH hasn't come on because the kitchen door is left open all night so that heat from the Aga can warm the house. The Aga was switched off on sufferance for about 3 weeks in June, when temperatures in the kitchen were reaching 30 degrees, with the Aga and the huge south-west facing bifold doors. Some evenings I sit in T shirt and shorts sweating, thinking I ought to have a knotted hankie on my head and a cocktail with an umbrella in it, while she is curled up on the sofa shivering.

She is always cold because eats nothing, a main evening meal will be a bowl of soup and a roll or one very small baked spud and some cheese. On the rare occasions we go out for dinner and she eats a proper meal, she complains she is hot.

Yikes!

That reminds me of when my ex and her daughter were round for a meal one autumn evening. I was wearing shorts and t-shirt. They were lightly dressed too but started complaining about how cold it was. Since I was already nice and warm, I didn't want the room any warmer so I gave them the choice - heater on, I strip naked for the meal; heater stays off, I supply them with big woolly jumpers.. They took the jumpers!

The not eating enough thing is definitely true. I very rarely feel the cold, but a couple of times I've got home in the dark after very hilly 200 km audax rides, I've started shivering so violently that I couldn't even open a tin of beans. I had to quickly eat some cold food and get into bed fully dressed to warm up. I'd obviously gone so deep into my reserves that I couldn't keep my body temperature up once I'd stopped riding. I can see why having an accident out on the moors could be really dangerous in cold conditions when very tired. 

 

[biggs682]

i have had to cuddle other half , cause its that cold

 

[taxing]

It's not even cold yet! And me saying that is a big deal because I feel the cold.

 

[buggi]

i can't wait for autumn to really start. it's my favourite cycling month, i love getting dressed up in my thermals all snug and warm, cool air on my face, smell of BBQ's and bonfires, russet trees and beautiful sunsets.

last year i saw the most amazing sunset. The sun had just disappeared on the horizon leaving deep red, yellow and orange swirls burning across the sky like i've never seen before, and in the distance the far off city lights of Birmingham across the horizon, which looked like God had sprinkled glitter. It was absolutely breathtaking. I stopped my bike to take it in and wish to this day i'd had a camera on me. i think it was the swirls in the sky that really did it (think the swirls of walls icecream) and i don't think i'll ever see that combination again.