Of the few things we were told about Germany the extreme cold of winter was the one that recurred again and again. We were often told about the severe winters that have been experienced in recent, and not so recent, years.
Temperatures go down to -25 degrees centigrade or even lower; snow is the norm, not a treat; darkness send people loopy. Allegedly. We've been advised to take a holiday to sunny climes as often as possible during the winter "in order to cope". Not so easy when we've a child at school and a dog.
Apparently one year the snows started on 13th October. Not this year though. But we've been on tenterhooks since mid-October thanks to this information. In the meantime, I've tucked up the garden under piles of bark chippings and Tim bought some winter tyres for the car. By law, these have to be fitted to the vehicle by the end of October.
There were a few chilly days in October - not properly cold, but to someone who doesn't do cold and who is acclimatised to much milder temperatures - cold enough! Autumn didn't really happen. There was a week in October when I got to wear a new 'autumn coat' then I was straight into what used to be my 'deepest winter' coat and the temperatures were around 10 degrees C. Yes, I'm a wimp! What on earth am I going to do when it gets properly, frostbitingly cold?
I've taken the opportunity to indulge in some retail therapy and have been stocking up on warm clothes. Mostly jumpers, socks and and more jumpers. And some legwarmers! Someone told me that I need a "good hat, good gloves and good boots". All good excuses to go shopping but so far I have none of these. And I still don't have a smart, very warm winter coat. I do have an ugly parka which will have to do.
But I still don't think these will be enough. I'm sitting here in my warm house and my feet are still cold. In future months, I shall wear everything I own and look like a blimp. Style will be the least of my worries this winter.
These relatively mild temperatures lulled me into a false sense of security... until this past weekend. Unexpectedly, the thermometer in the car started sounding an alarm from time to time. It turned out this was a "Possibility of Ice on the Road" indicator. (As an aside, Germany doesn't grind to a halt when winter arrives; roads are efficiently cleared, transportation continues as normal and life goes on.)
We have an old thermometer in the house with a probe dangling out the window to record outside temperatures. Yesterday it showed it went down to zero. I'm convinced it shows a temperature a degree or two above what it actually is outside though. There was a very heavy frost and the lake had started to freeze over. Thankfully it was sunny and beautiful, but after a while my legs and feet were feeling the cold quite badly and my ears and nose were tingling. I couldn't feel my hands.
With the temperature due to drop at least a further 20 degrees, frankly, I'm nervous about the next few months!