Anybody else up yet?

It's your 5am now - come on you lot - gerrup!

Greenmossgiel - you brought back memories of cold bedrooms - i remember the ice patterns on my Yorkshire bedroom window! I would sleep under six blankets, with bed socks on, and a hot water bottle for my feet.

Later I went to live in Vienna as an au pair girl, and they had great ways of beating the cold. For a start off, all the windows were double. Not double glazed - that hadn't been invented when the apartment had been built - but two windows in one: one on the outside of the wall, that opened outwards, and one on the inside opening inwards. It made a huge difference.

Every room had a Kacheloven, or tiled stove. This was a small fireplace at the bottom of a tiled column containing the chimney. Even the smallest fire heated the tiles and made the room lovely and cosy.

PS

Here are some pictures of them.

http://www.google.com.au/search?q=kachelofen&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=Ou8&sa=X&rls=org.mozilla:en-USfficial&channel=np&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&ei=L6LdTr3OBMXYmAW89bD8BA&ved=0CCsQsAQ&biw=1260&bih=619

My Kachelofen (I spelled it wrong before) was just like the green tiled one 4th row down, second from the right.

www.google.com.au/search?q=kachelofen&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=Ou8&sa=X&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=np&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&ei=L6LdTr3OBMXYmAW89bD8BA&ved=0CCsQsAQ&biw=1260&bih=619

I forgot to tick convert links... this should be easier.

Another insomniac checking in here. Awake since 2. Long night. Why do worries and pains seem so much BIGGER at this time? Any good ideas for making them smaller?

Good morning, Sewsilver. need coffe before I can be coherent.....

Waiting for OH to bring me a cuppa...

Few sips later.... Feeling better already. I think it's the sitting down all snug with the drink that helps one to wake up as well. Sorry for all the insomniacs. It rarely happens to me (though it does occasionally) and mainly it's a bore.

Good morning.....it's a bit chilly on the south coast, but no need for crampons yet!
Awake at 5am, so decided to be all productive and make a bread pudding for my daughter to take home when she picks grandsons up later today. Put all the bread to soak, but that's as far as it got as I've run out of eggs! Unheard of.

including *joan" one of a naked model warming her bum.
I hope the stove was really on so she did not have gooseflesh. Kind of an austrian take on the aga are they?
My cold bedroom memories are of that winter in NZ 3 years ago, when my son was on chemo and he was living in a house with the thermal properties of a greenhouse. Same temp inside and out, which was just above freezing... I realised why all NZ motels etc have electric blankets.
Oh notsogrand bread pudding... yum.
Hello nsube and sewsilver . I think worries can surface when we sleep because we are not making that effort to not worry, that we do in the day, maybe. Long recent thread here on worrying.
Well talking of worries, my DDIL has shingles. Pushes herself far to hard and doesn't take care of herself. Is talking about going back to work cos no sick pay.
Wish she was not 12,000 miles away, and that I could pop round and take over so she could rest... Why is it so hard for so many women to look after themselves "You can't look after other people unless you look after yourself" seems so obvious. But it is easy for me to say...
So I am up with my laptop. Hoping to speak to granchildren and having no luck...

Hello Jess, yes the night magnifies everything, and a morning cup of tea diminishes a lot. It's easy to give advice but shingles really needs to be recovered from properly as it is exacerbated by stress and tiredness.
As for cold bedrooms does anyone else's OH play the turn down the thermostat game? I'm just psyching myself up to venture to the bottom of the stairs to turn it up again when I hear the door close as he departs.

How wonderful to post 2 messages in despair in the early hours and to wake up to find they have been read and replied to. Thank you .GN brilliant antidote to loneliness. Nsube, DH doesn't think it cold enough for heating yet but he's a Scotsman who has decided winter starts late December and ends mid Jan. But I have a secret weapon, electric throw, costs less than lightbulb to run. Can sit under it on sofa, in bed or wrap round when working on computer. Bought one for elderly aunt last year and it cut her gas bill by a third. Bought DD one for her birthday and now DS2 would like one for Christmas. Haven't worked out how to use it when cooking, cleaning.Hmmm

Men do have a higher metabolic rate and don't feel the cold as much.
The secret weapon I discovered in NZ is 2 PAIRS OF TROUSERS. Why do we think we can waft around with just a thin layer over our legs. (trousers and leggings is the kind of layering makes a huge difference. Thick tights also work.)
It is cold this morning. Even in our well insulated house I can feel the cold coming from the patio doors.

Joan, what wonderful systems these are! I think I saw a very, very early one when we had a tour round a castle in Austria! (Wonder who the young lady was who was posing in front of the one named 'Commandant'....? The little madam!! )

Good point, JessM. I found some thermal leggings in M&S lingerie department and they are perfect under trousers in this colder weather.

greenmosssgiel, I agree those systems are great. Loads of heat from very little fire, all in a lovely piece of artwork - and great for warming a cold bum.

I can't imagine why we didn't copy their systems in Britain, including the double windows, because even though it doesn't get quite as cold as Austria, which gets those freezing winds from the North East, it can be very cold and miserable.

Insulating the house is another thing that helps keep people warm in bed. I'm getting it installed in our underdrawing soon, but in my case it is to keep us cool!!

Joan !!!

Two full nights' sleep - can't believe it! I feel much more alive today - well, almost. My get up and go is a bit slow off the mark.

Not a good sleep last night....but got up very early and ran a bath. Fell fast asleep in it and woke myself up snoring!

Up again at sparrows cough, had two good noghts sleep so I seem to have used up my weekly allowance!
Have made a cup of tea so now I am going to write out a shopping list. I think its my exciting life that is keeping me awake

I am. Well, I would be, wouldn't I? It is 3.45pm here!

Just went to the U3A Christmas party. Each group was invited to do a small presentation, so our lot, the writers group and the performance group put on a short sketch, which they all absolutely loved. Phew! It could well have been a damp squid, and I was really really worried seeing that I wrote the thing. It was a bit sleazy, and I was worried we might have gone too far, but we got away with it.

Now I'm home recovering.

i might sleep in tomorrow.

Slept like a log after a Cub night but woke as the pressure began to fall in readiness for the storm that is predicted for today. My electronic storm warning on my travel barometer went off a little while later. I'm always chuffed when I beat it.

Glad your sketch was a success, joan.

Morning all! Annika - same here. Two lovely sleeps but woke up an hour ago; I'm always grateful if it's past 5.00. I used to get up at 5.15 when I commuted so it's registered in my head as a "normal" time to be awake, I think.

The storm warnings do sound significant, Bagitha, hope your hatches are battened down! Now - coffee.

Morning all, I've been awake since about 5am, woke several times last night, not so windy here but had my daughter on my mind. I shall need matchsticks to keep my eyes open when I visit the maternity ward this afternoon. GD no 1 fast asleep upstairs and DH sleeping like a baby.

101 different things going through my mind from worrying about my daughter to what to do for tea tonight! She was very nervous about the c section when I spoke to her last night, although she had one the first time it was an emergency so didn't have time to think about it.

I'm sure I will sleep tonight ...

Another early waker-upper here. I'm not surprised an immanent C section is preventing sleep though.
The cat escaped from the kitchen last night and found her way on to our bed, but silly puss announced her presence with loud miaows so OH very cross. Got grandson all day so I'll be needing the matchsticks too.