I don’t know, is it just me? The wet and cold weather triggers in me an uncontrollable desire to escape the winter weather and go somewhere else – somewhere nice and warm preferably. The last vacations feel like ages ago, and I get itchy feet by the mere thought of summer, sun and beaches. Yearningly, I think back to those times when, sitting in a nice street cafe, you could at least pretend that the summer vacations weren’t over just yet…
But this is becoming increasingly difficult…when you go out these days, you invariably end up having to squeeze into already packed bars or smoky pubs – and this doesn‘t really help with the holiday mood. This is probably the reason why pubs and restaurants with outside facilities are always a lot more popular than others which do not offer that option. And pub owners up and down the country are trying to combat the biting cold with woollen blankets, hot beverages and mushroom heaters in order to attract more customers. But have you ever thought about what the avoidable luxuries of sitting outside in the middle of winter do to our environment?
I know, this is probably one of the very last things you’ll want to think about in such a cosy moment. But did you know that every single one of these mushroom heaters emits as much CO2 as a compact car? In reaction to these statistics, more and more cities all over Europe are thinking of banning or already have banned the patio heaters and the extra carbon-emissions they produce.
But fortunately this doesn’t mean that we all have to give up the Mediterranean atmosphere for good. Electric heaters are a good alternative when it comes to simulating sunnier climates – they also keep you warm and cosy, but without the harmful carbon-dioxide emissions.
And if on top of that the restaurant also switches to green electricity, both customers and the owners have already taken a large step towards reducing their carbon footprint. Cheers!
Winter is without doubt the worst time of the year for motorists. Roads can quickly become treacherous or even impassable and what started off as a normal journey to work or a friend’s place can suddenly turn into a nightmare. Hundreds of motorists found themselves trapped in their cars overnight and stranded in snowdrifts and snow flurries in parts of Scotland and the north of England when police had to close roads and shut off motorways which had become blocked because of heavy snowfall and temperatures as low as -20C.
Christmas is a special time of the year. For Christians it is a time to celebrate their faith and remember their God. And for millions of “Submarine Christians”, men and women who feel drawn to God but prefer to wear their religion more loosely, it is once again time to resurface and join in the celebrations. Yet even those who do not aspire to be any kind of Christian and who perhaps believe in other forces, powers or values beyond those of the Church often find themselves caught up in the Christmas Spirit and festive cheer.
Snow. We have had more than our fair share of it recently. Snow and ice caused huge disruptions and chaos throughout Europe lately when bitterly cold polar air masses rolling in from the Arctic Circle brought road traffic to a standstill and caused airports to be closed, fleets of aircraft to be grounded and trains to freeze in – or more exactly to – their tracks. And if the weather forecasters are to believed, there is more – much more – to come. 
