The last few weeks in the UK have been unusually cold - at least in terms of recent winters. With snow lasting on the ground for weeks rather than normal day or two, we have all had our own experiences of how life changes with just a small change in climate.
It's a curious quirk of the consequences of global "warming", but the projections indicate that the UK will increasingly experience colder winters. This happens as the moderating influence of the Gulf Stream weakens in the Atlantic.
What was noticeable about our little "cold snap" was how much it disrupted everyday life. In many places car-based travel became a very risky business. We live on a hill and for several days the routes out of the village were impassable. It didn't take long before our well-stocked larder began to seem a little less so...
Of course we all burnt record amounts gas, oil and electricity to keep warm during the sub-zero conditions. Collectively we all helped the UK reach a new Gas consumption record this week, burning 460 million cubic meters of the stuff in one day - probably making it a record CO2 emission day too.
Then amid all of this, in our home, we had a powercut.
No electricity suddenly meant no central heating. It didn't take long for the temperature to drop. As it happens we have a fire and a pile of wood, so we got that going and enjoyed its warmth like never before. However it really gets you thinking of how we will cope in the future when we have: 1. Colder winters, and 2. Less reliable / far more costly gas supplies.
Sure we had a fireplace, but take a look around at millions of houses built in the last 20 years and you'll see very few of them have chimneys.
Just how do you keep warm when all your eggs are in one centrally-heated basket.... ?