Thursday, January 19, 2006

Sub zero Warsaw

Just got back from a walk with the dog in the park, 11 O’clock at night, temperature - 14.

The dog, Chagall, loved it. For over a week now the paths in the park have been glassy with ice, and he has been tottering around the place like a woman on 10 centimeter high heels. But now fresh snow has fallen, my tricolor collie has been running around like a supersonic Findus Frozen Fish Finger.

The thing about this type of extreme cold weather is that it takes about half an hour to get ready to go out. You have to plan things like you were preparing for a polar expedition. Long johns? Check. Two pairs of socks? Check. Two pairs of trousers, three jumpers, two coats? Check. Thermos flask, compass, map, sleigh and huskies? Check. Willie warmer? Er…check.

I had so many clothes on that I was warm as toast. I was also wearing one of those rather fetching fur hats with the two bits hanging down over the ears, so I looked as canine as my dog. Alsatians tried to mount me! Even poodles showed an interest.

The only part of my anatomy that was exposed to the elements was my nose. After ten minutes the snot had frozen solid. I’m serious! After fifteen minutes my nose had turned to a block of ice. If I put my head downwards then it looked like a stalactite hanging from the roof of a cave.

It’s going to be this cold over the weekend, and on Monday it will get below minus 20 degrees - which is similar to what they are having in Moscow at the moment - so wrap up warm.

8 Comments:

At 1/20/2006 12:54:00 AM, Blogger Aaron Fowles said...

Try having a large mass of curly (read full of hiding places) hair growing out of your face.

Frozen snotsicles mixed with breathcicles.

 
At 1/20/2006 11:09:00 AM, Blogger Becca said...

yeah, I made the mistake of going outside this morning with a runny nose... never again

 
At 1/20/2006 08:23:00 PM, Blogger ~JS said...

the city government needs to be on 'blue alert' for street people for the next week...

and riding trams is horrible, especially line 26 which only seems to have the old and now heatless trams...for a capital city in the eu, this is pathetic...riding to work for 40 minutes is torture...especially when the tram doors have to stay open at every single stop, which, of course welcomes you with a red light at every stop to boot...

who and how is it decided when it comes to the tram models assigned to a given line?

 
At 1/20/2006 11:29:00 PM, Blogger Gustav said...

With weather like this, thoughts of those poor souls trapped homeless in the mountains of Pakistan after the recent earthquake there keep coming back to me. I was outside this evening for 20 minutes and could hardly stand it. My (gloved) fingers were numb, my face chapped, and my legs were as stiff as tree trunks.

What a wimp I am. They must be enduring at least these temperatures, probably worse.

24 hours a day, 7 days a week. And we're only in mid-winter.

As for me, now I'm in the comfort of my living room, heat turned all the way up and a cup of hot tea at hand.

We are so very fortunate.

 
At 1/21/2006 10:55:00 AM, Blogger beatroot said...

I've seen those reports on CNN - gastly! All those useless NGOs.

And JS on a tram for 40 minutes everyday! Where do you live? just outside Poznan? There have been 122 people who have died cause of the cold this winter already.

 
At 1/22/2006 09:32:00 AM, Blogger Eugene Markow said...

I live on top of a small mountain, in the Carpathian foothills, approximately 320 meters above sea level. The current temperature is now -17.5 C, and I must walk 2 km down a steep snowy, slippery, unpaved road to go food shopping at the nearest store. Try that for a nice expedition. :-)

Eugene
Siemiechów, Poland
http://www.geocities.com/ejmarkow/siemiechow

 
At 1/23/2006 10:06:00 PM, Blogger Bialynia said...

Just wanted to let you all know it's nice and sunny, and well above zero, in Chi-town. Our 25 below tempartures hit in December.

 
At 12/19/2006 07:28:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hahaha, its not cold in california betches.

 

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