Coping with the British weather
The British are famous for their obsession with the weather. It’s something we talk about with anyone and everyone, and it influences everything we do. Britain’s climate is reasonably stable compared to many places in the world, and although we get a little bit of everything, we’re usually spared any extreme weather. Having said that, this winter has been one of the worst for weather for many years, with the seemingly constant rainfall plus the ravages of the Beast from the East. If you’re feeling particularly fed up with the weather at the moment, you’re not alone – but is there anything you can do to make coping with it a bit easier?
Being prepared
One of the main problems with the weather is the effect it can have on our homes and our lives. Flood risks, travel disruption, wind damage; all costing time and money and causing major inconvenience. If you want to minimise the effects of adverse weather conditions on your life, take a few precautions so that you are better able to deal with whatever nature throws at you.
• Travel problems can be very disruptive, and bad driving conditions can lead to an increase in accidents and breakdowns. Make sure your car is well-maintained and serviced regularly to reduce the chances of a breakdown and keep an emergency kit in the boot with food, drink, blankets, first aid and breakdown essentials. Keep a spare charger in the car for your mobile and make use of the local travel alert system on your stereo. You might want to consider putting winter tyres on your car, especially here in the south-west peninsula, as they will give you much better grip in poor conditions and will help prevent you getting stuck in the mud. Don’t run your petrol down to almost empty before refuelling, or you might get caught out if fuel deliveries are disrupted.
• As soon as snow is forecast people start stocking up with bread, milk, potatoes and other essentials, in case they can’t get to the shops or deliveries are disrupted. It’s something that we laugh about, the way everyone panic-buys just because it might snow, but having extra supplies to see you through a storm isn’t a bad idea. The trick is to keep some supplies in as a matter of course, rather than having to stock up when the bad weather hits. You can keep a spare loaf or two in the freezer and a few pints of milk, or get a tin of powdered milk for the store cupboard. Make sure you’ve got plenty of tins and keep your stocks of essentials like painkillers, pet food and toilet roll a bit higher over the winter. That way you can wrap up warm in front of the fire and not have to worry about fighting for the last can of baked beans in Sainsbury’s.
• Keep a supply of candles or a battery powered light somewhere that you can access them easily in case of a power cut. Plan ahead for how you would be affected if the power went off – how would you cook, make a cup of tea, keep warm? If you have a camping stove, keep it indoors and make sure you have plenty of gas. You’ll have a definite advantage if you have an open fire or a log-burner, but keep well stocked with fuel and lighting materials. Have some hot water bottles ready to fill if the heating goes off, and get your big blankets and woolly jumpers out to snuggle up. A power cut can be a bit of an adventure for the kids, so have games and books to hand and cuddle up together for some fun.
• If you get a weather warning, check around the garden and outside of the house for anything that looks like it could blow away or break off. Make sure all your recycling is secured, so you don’t end up with toilet roll inner tubes scattered all over the garden after a gale. Put everything moveable away in sheds or indoors, check fences and guttering and fill up some watering cans or water carriers in case the pipes freeze. Don’t forget to cover up vulnerable plants and put some extra insulation into the greenhouse to keep any overwintering tender perennials safe from the extreme cold.
Enough is enough
No-one will blame you if you feel so fed up with the weather that you start planning your escape. Turn your dream of laying on a warm, sunny beach in the Caribbean into a reality, and see what deals you can get for an escape to the sun. The planning process in itself will give you a boost and make it easier to cope with the constant chill and drizzle. If you can’t manage a foreign holiday, how about a break in the UK? Go and explore the attractions in the big city, or take the kids to a resort like Crealy Adventure Park.
The weather won’t matter so much if you’re enjoying the experiences and entertainments of these attractions. If you’ve really reached the end of your tether, you might feel like relocating and going off to live on the Costa Del Sol! It might sound a bit drastic, but bad weather can affect your health. Seasonal Affective Disorder is a low mood condition that manifests in the dark winter months, and damp weather exacerbates many chronic pain conditions like osteoarthritis. If you’re able to move to a warmer climate or spend the winter there, it can be a big help in easing your symptoms. Planning a major move like this is not something to be entered into lightly, and you need to weigh up all the pros and cons involved. Examine every aspect and implication of making such a change; how would you fund a move, who would you miss, can you get life insurance living in Spain? It might sound like a dream answer to escaping the depressing British winter, but it’s something that will require a lot of thought.
At the end of the day, the weather is what it is, and there’s not a lot you can do to change it. What you can change is the effect the weather has on you by preparing for its approach and looking for the fun and enjoyment that you can have, whatever the weather has in store.
