# Brass Monkeys!



## Earl of Ormonde (Sep 5, 2008)

When I cycled to work this morning, it was minus 17 degrees C. The little finger on my left froze up, very painful, even though I was wearing 2 pairs of gloves. 

Just got back from lunch, cycled to town and back, thinking at midday it would be warmer... WRONG!!!! Actually colder now because it's now windy as well. 

Minus 25 is my cut-off, once it hits that each year (anytime from late Dec to Feb) I take the bus.


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## Snow Hill Pond (Aug 10, 2011)

Earl of Ormonde said:


> When I cycled to work this morning, it was minus 17 degrees C. The little finger on my left froze up, very painful, even though I was wearing 2 pairs of gloves.
> 
> Just got back from lunch, cycled to town and back, thinking at midday it would be warmer... WRONG!!!! Actually colder now becasue it's now windy as well.
> 
> Minus 25 is my cut-off, once it hits that each year (anytime from late Dec to Feb) I take the bus.


When I was in college, there was a prof who would ride his bike through campus on cold winter days with his hands in his coat pockets, yelling at the top of his lungs at pedestrians, "My hands are cold, and I'm not stopping!" Inexplicably, it worked for him.


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## Belfaborac (Aug 20, 2011)

How long is the bike trip? We've got a mere -15 here today, with no wind, which is still low enough to make me happy to be living a brisk 15 minute walk from work. Since there's no bus along my short route I have no cut-off, but for 15 minutes any temperature is survivable.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

Perhaps the apparent increase in your sensitivity to colder temps is age related. I know as the years pass, I am finding the winter months to be less and less tolerable. I seem to be selecting heavier and heavier sweaters to wear during the winter months. If this keeps up, the wife and I are going to have to concede defeat and become a couple of snow birds!


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## bernoulli (Mar 21, 2011)

Riding bikes in horrible temperatures it is the reason I never cycle anywhere. Yesterday it was +36oC! Horrible to go anywhere other that playing some sports or going to the beach. I can relate to you guys...


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## VictorRomeo (Sep 11, 2009)

For me when out on my bike and walking the dog in sub-zero, ski/outdoor mitts are the only thing to wear ween if dips that low.... With fingers it's warmth in numbers! I wear with a light merino glove as a sort of liner if I need to take them off for whaever reason. It hit -6 here over the weekend but was very rainy and windy which really made it nasty. My mitts have a leather palm which is grippy and would work for handlebars as well as ski poles. Goretex and a light down lining make them super light and really, really warm. Made by a Swiss company called Snowlife....


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## Earl of Ormonde (Sep 5, 2008)

Yea, funny you should say that Victor, an army Captian said that to me this morning, "wear mittens as your fingers will keep each other warm".


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## VictorRomeo (Sep 11, 2009)

Earl of Ormonde said:


> Yea, funny you should say that Victor, an army Captian said that to me this morning, "wear mittens as your fingers will keep each other warm".


....well it works for your toes.....! :icon_smile: Seriously though, with those temperatures and especially when breathing in cold air when exerting, your body will do all it can to keep the important bits warm.... That's why it's fingers and toes that first fall prey to frostbite.....(I guess you know that though living up there!) Another cold snap expected here this year. I know it's normal enough for you fellows up north, but two years ago it hit -26 here and averaged -17 for a couple of weeks. Never experienced anything like that before here. Coldest I ever felt was up in Denmark about 15 years ago and it hit -40.


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## drlivingston (Jun 21, 2012)

It is a great 70 degrees F (21 C) outside right now. It's the perfect weather for everything.... except tweed. :crazy:


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## VictorRomeo (Sep 11, 2009)

drlivingston said:


> It is a great 70 degrees F (21 C) outside right now. It's the perfect weather for everything.... except tweed. :crazy:


That's why I love this north European maratime climate (seriously, I do!). I love cold crisp winter days and nights - just so I can wrap myself up in varying layers of wool, cashmere, tweed and leather!


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## Belfaborac (Aug 20, 2011)

The ability to wear tweed and woollens aside, I really wouldn't want to live somewhere without cold winters and distinct seasons. I spent a few years living in the Middle East and while I loved it in most respects, I really, really missed the snow and the cold every time the Middle Eastern pseudo-winter arrived.


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## drlivingston (Jun 21, 2012)

Belfaborac said:


> I really, really missed the snow.


All you have to do in Alabama is just mention the "s" word and people go berzerk. We can have a flurry and they close all of the schools and secondary roads. If, God forbid, we get around 1 inch of snow, it's a disaster of epic proportions.


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## Earl of Ormonde (Sep 5, 2008)

Add me to the list of people who would hate to live in a mono-climate (Is that a word? It is now) I NEED the cold & dark of the Swedish winter so my obdy can recover from the agony of the heat & light of the sun.


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## Troglodyte (Sep 7, 2012)

drlivingston said:


> All you have to do in Alabama is just mention the "s" word and people go berzerk. We can have a flurry and they close all of the schools and secondary roads. If, God forbid, we get around 1 inch of snow, it's a disaster of epic proportions.


Same here in NC. Also, they buy out all of the bread, eggs, and milk in the shops. I wonder if they are making French toast?

Cordially,
Trog


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## CuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

Earl of Ormonde said:


> Add me to the list of people who would hate to live in a mono-climate (Is that a word? It is now)


Agreed. Winters in Atlanta are pretty tame, but we do get a little snow most years. When everyone else is expressing delight over unseasonable warmth (such as last weekend's 70°F highs), it makes me grouchy... I get plenty of heat from early May to late September, please let me have some cold to balance it out!


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## Balfour (Mar 23, 2012)

I don't object to a cold winter, although I've only experienced Sweden's winter in late February.

I am glad we don't suffer the hot and often humid summers of the continental climate of parts of the United States. I remember a business trip to DC in late July, and, even with appropriate suits, I can't imagine it is kind to wearing tailored clothing.


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## Belfaborac (Aug 20, 2011)

I don't know about Sweden, but here in Norway (well, where I live at least) the latter half of February is frequently the coldest part of winter. Two or three years ago we had a week or so of -25C where I live right around that time. The lowest temp I saw was -27, which is my own personal record and one I'm not in a hurry to improve on. I believe I left the house once, for the nearest shop which is happily only five minutes walk away.


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## MikeDT (Aug 22, 2009)

-32C this morning, no bicycle today, I used a taxi.


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## Belfaborac (Aug 20, 2011)

Now that's chilly...


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## Earl of Ormonde (Sep 5, 2008)

Balfour said:


> I am glad we don't suffer the hot and often humid summers


The hot & humid summers are the one big thing I absolutely detested about inner London weather. I don't miss them at all.


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## Earl of Ormonde (Sep 5, 2008)

Belfaborac said:


> I don't know about Sweden, but here in Norway (well, where I live at least) the latter half of February is frequently the coldest part of winter. Two or three years ago we had a week or so of -25C where I live right around that time. The lowest temp I saw was -27, which is my own personal record and one I'm not in a hurry to improve on. I believe I left the house once, for the nearest shop which is happily only five minutes walk away.


The coldest I've experienced in Sweden was on a field exercise in 2001, we went north of the Arctic Circle & one day it dropped to minus 35 C.


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## Ekphrastic (Oct 4, 2009)

I'm seriously starting to wonder if there's something seriously different with my body than everyone else's--for me, 70 degrees Fahrenheit _is_ tweed weather, and I absolutely love hot and humid climes; when I lived in the Deep South (about ninety minutes away from New Orleans, which I frequented as much as I could), it was paradise, with distinct seasons that didn't get too cold. I can't even fathom living in a place which usually stays below freezing.


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## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

Balfour said:


> I don't object to a cold winter, although I've only experienced Sweden's winter in late February.
> 
> I am glad we don't suffer the hot and often humid summers of the continental climate of parts of the United States. I remember a business trip to DC in late July, and, even with appropriate suits, I can't imagine it is kind to wearing tailored clothing.


It's BRUTAL!!

Especially stuck underground on a train in the dark with no AC!!


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## Howard (Dec 7, 2004)

Did you wear warm gloves?


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## ajo (Oct 22, 2007)

Years ago I used to work as a Chef in a micro brewery in Fremantle and they served a Brass Money Stout, 'drink no evil' it proclaimed. (not) 

Oh those brass monkeys sorry its summer here in Oz and its 29c at present so no brass monkey's around here.


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## VictorRomeo (Sep 11, 2009)

Some cold weather fun.....


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## Earl of Ormonde (Sep 5, 2008)

Blimey, ice before it hit the ground. 

Never experienced that low. Minus 35 is my max cold so far. 

For those wondering "Эксперименты" means "Experiment"


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## drlivingston (Jun 21, 2012)

For those who are curious if that is Celcius or Fahrenheit, -40C is the exact same as 
-40F.


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## Earl of Ormonde (Sep 5, 2008)

True, but the clip showed minus 41 C which is almost minus 42 F and by the time you get down to minus 50 C that is minus 58 F. It is just a fluke of mathematics that minus 40 is the same on both scales.

More importantly when are you Americans going to join the rest of the world and start using Celcius?


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## CuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

Earl of Ormonde said:


> More importantly when are you Americans going to join the rest of the world and start using Celcius?


NEVER!!! The nice thing about farenheit is that it works so well for human-appropriate temperatures. With its scale, any time you are in a place where negative numbers or triple digits are required to meausre the temperature, you know you should find someplace else to be!


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## Haffman (Oct 11, 2010)

CuffDaddy said:


> NEVER!!! The nice thing about farenheit is that it works so well for human-appropriate temperatures. With its scale, any time you are in a place where negative numbers or triple digits are required to meausre the temperature, you know you should find someplace else to be!


YES! Outside of the science world, I hate Celsius !


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## Jovan (Mar 7, 2006)

You are one crazy Swede trying to cycle in that kind of weather.

A couple days ago marked the first time I actually had to use an ice scraper on my car windows before work. Most mornings have been below 20 F here this week. Craziness. But it is a nice change from Florida weather.

I really do want that pair of Bean Rubber Mocs now.


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## Earl of Ormonde (Sep 5, 2008)

Haffman said:


> YES! Outside of the science world, I hate Celsius !


Why? How old are you, 70?

I learned Celsius (or Centigrade as we called it) at school in London in the 1960s!!!


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## CuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

Haffman said:


> YES! Outside of the science world, I hate Celsius !


That's the thing about the metric system. It's wonderfully easy to use for calculations, but it was designed without any thought for ergonomics/human intuition. The old English measurements, as wacky as their non-linear divisions are, tend to be in very intuitive increments. A yard's about a stride, an inch is what you get between your thumb and forefinger if you stick them both out prepared to pinch something, etc.


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## Earl of Ormonde (Sep 5, 2008)

I've forgotten how the Fahrenheit system works. Can you explain to me how it is better for human use than Celsius?


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## CuffDaddy (Feb 26, 2009)

Earl of Ormonde said:


> I've forgotten how the Fahrenheit system works. Can you explain to me how it is better for human use than Celsius?


From my earlier post: With its scale, any time you are in a place where negative numbers or triple digits are required to meausre the temperature, you know you should find someplace else to be!

And looking at the first digit of two will generally be sufficient to tell you what you need to know. Sixties and seventies will be comfortable. Eightes and nineties will be hot. Fifties and fourties will be cool, and down to zero will be cold. No reason to know much outside that range, if you've got enough sense to avoid extremes!


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## Earl of Ormonde (Sep 5, 2008)

OK, I think I see what you're saying, is to view the F scale as a 1 to 10 scale with the lower half being cold to cool, then rising through warm in the upper middle (60-70) then the top third being hot. 

However, 32F being freezing point is totally illogical, but I take your point that the 3 is the bottom third of the scale so of course I should realise 32 is very cold.

Thanks, I now know where I am with the F scale


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## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

Earl of Ormonde said:


> More importantly when are you Americans going to join the rest of the world and start using Celcius?


Are you kidding??

I cried when the Army went from .45cal to 9mm!!


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## Earl of Ormonde (Sep 5, 2008)

WouldaShoulda said:


> Are you kidding??
> 
> I cried when the Army went from .45cal to 9mm!!


As did I when the UK armed forces went from 7.62 to 5.56 a year or two after I left the RAF.


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## cdavant (Aug 28, 2005)

Might be worth checking with your doc--could be your thyroid is out of whack. If your fingers get cold, they just get cold. But if you find only some of them are starting to turn white when they chill, get that checked out. When I used to enjoy running 10 miles at 0'F, I always used a pair of synthetic glove liners under my gloves or mittens and never had a problem, except in the brass monkey area.


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