Random Observation

Actually, two observations, but both relating to water temperature.

Overnight, we seem to have slipped into Winter (note the capitalisation - this is proper Winter, not "brrr... innit chilly?"). There was frost on all the roofs I could see, on the trees, and even some on the ground... and the temperature inside my flat, in spite of having the central heating on all night, and set higher than it had been over the last few weeks, was pretty damn near stone cold.

Right by the radiators, it's not too bad... but my computer sits at the opposite end of the room, and it's been cold over here all day. Just so you know, I'm wearing thick socks and a jumper.

I bet you've always wondered "What's he wearing when he blogs..?"

Deny it all you like.

So, today, I took the step I was intending to avoid, and turned on the radiator in the hall, acting on the possibility that my hall had been acting as a heat sink, and drawing the warmth out of the lounge, bedroom and bathroom. This seems to have improved the situation somewhat, but it's still a tad chilly. My fingertips and toes feel cold, and I've had a few attacks of the shivers, but I'm not uncomfortable...

Thing is, I'm pretty sure the heating is on higher now than it was last year, and I don't remember being cold last year. In fact the whole point of my restraint with the central heating this year was that, last year, I ended up paying through the nose for the privilege of not having to wear a jumper indoors, and fuel prices have risen quite dramatically since then.

Still, it's already December so, however I slice it, I'm pretty sure I've been using less gas this year than last... So far...

And then I come to do some washing up. Now, my boiler has separate dials for 'hot tap' and 'central heating'. I have moved the dial for 'central heating' but not the one for 'hot tap', and yet my tap water is now coming out much hotter than before. So far, I'm not complaining, but I am confused.

But when I start the washing up with a nice, hot bowl of water, the suds from my washing up liquid just don't seem to like it. Whereas, for the rest of the year so far, the water tended to be comparatively tepid, but the suds just kept going and going, now I can barely do the first few plates before the bubbles begin to disappear, and no matter how much more froth I produce by dunking and squeezing the sponge, it just doesn't stay.

I always thought increasing the temperature effectively reduced the 'hardness' of water, but a quick web search reveals that the reverse is true... So much for my grasp of chemistry.

I can't really win, can I?