Green or Nothing

I have really cold extremities; hands, feet, head, ears and nose.  In fact on most days when others are sporting summer dresses and vest tops you will find me with a cardigan. I never go anywhere without a cardigan, even on the hottest day I will carry one with me.

Of course this is endlessly amusing to my oh-so-English family members who are keen to see how I cope with my first English winter since our relocation from South Africa.

I know what you’re thinking – we’re nowhere near winter, and you’re right. But for the ‘I-get-seriously cold’ type it’s never too early or the wrong season to be preparing for winter.

Now I have been informed that the single most cost-effective thing you can do to keep warm and save electricity is to increase the insulation in your roof. But I don’t own the property where I currently reside so the next best thing I can do is to insulate my body. To be honest though, even with 2 metres of insulation in the roof I’d probably still feel a slight chill.

My ever enterprising husband in his quest to ‘help’ me discovered during Mika’s bath time the other night that he could warm up his ears quite nicely by sticking our toddler’s socks on them. He has highly recommended this method to me and has pronounced it more comfortable and more effective at keeping one’s head warm than wearing a hat. Thanks.

Black and Cream Fingerless Gloves

Today I discovered a far more sensible solution, these gorgeous black and cream fingerless gloves on Oxfam’s website in their Ethical Collection. These fingerless gloves are available in black & cream or purple & grey and cost £15.99. They’re made from 100% Merino  wool and are hand knitted in Uruguay. I’ll be able to type and turn pages for hours without getting blue fingers.

So this winter I won’t be resorting to my usual method of tucking my left had under my bottom  and encasing my right hand in a tatty old chopped at the finger tips glove (my rather charmless fingerless gloves), Madonna style.

Manos Del Uruguay was founded in 1968 by a group of women aiming to promote social and economic development in the rural areas of Uruguay. They are grouped into 17 co-operatives, which spin, dye, knit and produce finished garments for sale throughout the world.

Comfy Snood by Braintree

I also came across this very versatile comfy snoood in chocolate brown by Braintree which is made from 55% hemp and 45% organic cotton. It can worn around then neck or used as a hand warmer and can be bought from Ascension for £20.

How do you plan to keep warm in winter?