Surviving in the cold

Another reason I am so enamored with Edinburgh: it's winter is much milder than Boston's. The usefulness of this became clear this week, as our boiler (which supplies our hot water and our heat) died on Sunday or Monday. We tried to fix it ourselves on Monday with no luck. On Tuesday we called the landlord and let her know. Wednesday, the maintenance guy tried to fix it, with no luck. This morning a boiler repair guy came out and decided he couldn't do anything until someone removed the cupboard around the boiler. So the maintenance guy came back shortly thereafter and removed the cupboard. Now I'm waiting for the boiler guy again. Its a good thing I don't have a job or classes this week, and that I can just sit here all day waiting for various people to try to fix this.

So, its been cold. But manageable. With a couple sweaters on and a double layer of socks, and a hat, and periodic huddles in bed under the extra-thick duvet, its been just fine. On Tuesday we tried to warm up the flat by baking. Lots of baking: apple pie, brussel sprouts, potatoes, roasted chestnuts. Which warmed up the flat for about an hour. Then it got cold again. This made us realize how drafty our windows were. So Aaron went and bought draft-proofing ('draught'-proofing in Scotland-ese) supplies: this foam tape that you apply to the seams of windows, and double glazing film. This was very easy and quick to install, and moreover it was cheap. And its pleasantly not-as-frigid in here anymore -- I was able to lose the hat, and I'm no longer hiding under the bedcovers.

Now, I feel a bit sheepish for not realizing how badly we needed draft-proofing earlier, and for avoiding it before because it seemed like a lot of work. Well, it made a big difference and was super-easy to install. If you feel so inclined to pay less in heating bills and have a warmer house (and help the environment to boot), do this simple test: put your hand, a tissue, or a candle up to the bottom of your windows; if the candle flame or the tissue move, or if it just feels cold and drafty to your hand, you could use some draft proofing. So pop over to your local DIY/Home Depot -type store, and pick up some super-cheap draft proofing supplies. Its a breeze (sorry, just couldn't help myself).

Meanwhile, its nice to know we could survive the winter here without heat...but all the same I really do hope they fix it soon. I'm running out of sweaters.