Something different happened last night. As Duggee stepped out into the garden late last night, his little paws made a crunching sound on the grass. As I stepped on it, there was pronounced crunch too. It had frozen!
The first frost of Autumn 2020 had hit!
It reminded me of a survey conducted recently by the purveyors of outdoor goods, Regatta. They spoke to 800 people to get there thoughts and feelings about cold weather. Regatta wanted to know the most popular ways folks in the UK say “it’s cold!”. Admittedly, I’d heard of a lot of them – the most popular is “It’s FREEZING!!”, something James has often cried when he’s left home without his coat (despite being told he needs it).
However other popular phrases include “It’s crisp”, “It’s brass monkeys”, a personal favourite near the top of the ‘chart’ is “It’s nippy”.
Other sayings include “It’s parky” (not the popular elderly TV presenter), “In the dead of winter” (that’s a new one to me!), and something weirdly popular to London folk – “It’s taters”.
Something that did shock me about the Regatta survey was the “Favourite Hot Drink”…
It’s NOT TEA!!
I nearly fell off my chair when I heard that! Coffee is the overall favourite at 39%, Tea is just slightly behind with 38%. This is possible the closest result I refuse to accept – EVER!! (Ok.. maybe not that one!) Hot Chocolate is third favourite. A tiny fraction really love wrapping their hands around a mug of Horlicks when the cold strikes. I don’t blame those people, Horlicks is GREAT!
The survey looked at how everyone prefers to keep warm in the home. Layering up and sitting by a radiator seem to be the most popular methods – I’m a fan of leisurewear and blankets! Others preferred to sit in front of an open fire, and using hand warmers. I spotted a popular option was also a Hot Water Bottle – I found those very helpful when we went Glamping recently.
It’s fascinating to see how people up and down the country deal with the inclement weather. Whatever happens – wrap up warm and look after yourself!
