It is officialy zero here! Much colder than 32 degrees C! ;D

>>948 Well, I knew it wouldn't be simple! ;D
I've had the same weakening problem with the grate in the fireplace! It sags after a winters' full use! I just put it on a hydrolic press, and straghten it out!
BTW, it's 6 degrees F here now!

Some good news on the stove front. I let the fire die down over night and investigated the grate. Thankfully it is just a 2"x2" chunk of the grate that has broken off rather than the whole grate splitting in two. I was able to remove the broken bit and now I can pretty much use the fire as normal, at least until of the grate arrives :)

>>939 yes I do live in a partly wooden house :D
>>944 It's not that simple, it's a fancy circular grate that sits on an outer plate. The grate can be controlled from outside the stove to shake the ash through to the ash pan below. The problem is that having red hot coal sitting on the grate for months at a time seems to weaken the grates and then they snap in two. I'll have to try and find something to use as a temporary grate until the new one arrives or try to attach both halves so they don't drop down in to the ash pan. When I'm feeling richer I might get another grate in stock for when the next one breaks :/

>>935 Try using some bricks on edge, and see if that helps! Funny how it never breaks in the Summer! :p

Don't you live in a wood carved house by now?

Why is it whenever it gets really cold the bottom grate in my multi-fuel stove breaks!!! AAARRRRGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!
It'll probably be days/weeks before I can get a new one and the fire is really hard to use without it :(

>>924 I woke up on the sofa yesterday to find her looking for something she had lost, a rodent no doubt!!!

i'm sure, in dire straits, hoshi would go out and bring back birds, lizards or rodents so you wouldn't starve, wouldn't she? :)

Yay! The tesco man made it through to deliver my food. Now I don't have to starve to death :D

>>891 I'll tell Hoshi to go build a snowman

this is a nice shot though.. big yard! where's the snowman?? :D

I's been 6 degrees F here all week, but today a warm spell! 20 degrees F! :D

Just looked at the BBC website, they're forecasting -20 tonight.

I think someone switched the global warming off just for the winter ;)

If these snowy winters are accompanied by sunny summers (remember them?) I'll be a happy bunny.

It's the coldest I can remember too. And yes, extreme weather is a symptom of climate change.
I don't really mind the snow or the cold, but it's ruined my weeks plans. Everything has been cancelled :(

Coldest i can ever remember :/
Mind you, the scientists will say that we're still in global warming!

Incoming snowstorm at saturday! Me cycling at sunday :D