Wisdom comes with Winters

It’s been freezing lately in Sydney! I wasn’t in the country last year (I was freezing my t**** off in Reims, France), but this is the coldest winter I can remember. It feels like it will never end (especially because I got back in late December and missed most of summer).

My heater broke a few days ago. Joy. Getting out of bed in the morning is tough. I just lie there, dread creeping over me, my mind desperately trying to conjure an alternative to the inevitable. Versions of “get up” repeat over and over in my head till it gets loud enough for me to throw off the covers and face the chill.

Only one thought comforts me in these moments. Hell it could be worse.

Above is a photo taken in Geneva. Lord, that’s cold. Think that looks bad? Think again.

Thank your lucky stars you don’t live in Yakutsk, Russia; said to be the coldest city on Earth. Located in deep Siberia, ”high” temperatures  reach -40 degrees celsius in the coldest month. Ouch! How people can live there is hard to fathom; did I mention it has a population of 200,000?

The previous winter, nearby villages lost heating for several days because of burst pipes; it was - 50 degrees! People had to huddle in groups by the fire with blankets to survive.

Erm…please disregard the first half of this post.