A Wonderful Icy Day Spent Walking.

At least there were others...

I must say that I was rather surprised to see my walking group congregate at our meeting point. Can you believe that it was close to minus 15 yesterday morning? Yikes, I went, just in case they'd show up and gosh darn it, they did which saw me on my first bit of walking on thin ice.

Despite the biting cold I did enjoy the walk and decided to continue on foot for the rest of the day. Three different appointments to keep and at the end of the day I felt as if I'd put in a day at the gym. One could almost say I walked incognito with all the layers covering me. Sometimes with an unflattering beanie, but as hardly anyone was astir, not a problem.

The question of how to dress warmly is not that easy. Well, it is easy to put on a hundred different layers but bear in mind that most Eisenberg homes are as hot as a Sauna but thankfully the people stop at the shorts and t-shirt look. Coming in from the cold ( gosh, rather Le Carre-ish ) feels great for a minute until you start to sweat and discard layers upon layers of clothing. That is if you planned ahead for company and not merely for warmth.

Each to their own and all that, but constantly having an overly warm home is not really our thing. Isn't the point of winter to sit cuddled up under a blanket sipping a hot cup of coffee, tea or cocoa? Not to mention the enormous costs involved...there is no shame in walking around in a warm leisure assemble in your own home...leave the shorts and t-shirt look for summer.

Apart from the clothing dilemma, it felt fantastic to brave the elements. During the day it warmed to a cloudy minus 3-4 and the main roads were free of ice. Only the little by lanes were still covered in the slippery stuff although they had a liberal sprinkling of pebbles on them. Mostly half frozen over but gripping nonetheless.

For my last expedition into Eisenberg I knew my return trip would be in the dark and I was quite proud of myself for having remembered to take a torch with me. Walking yesterday felt good and it reminded me of how for centuries villagers walked about. It's only us lazy lot who've got the benefit of motorized transport...A luxury that most of us take for granted.

Biggi

The pond sporting a rather romantic look.