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It's deliciously cold here at the moment, just under 10C. It's not cold by nothern standards I know, but still crunchy, crispy cold.

I prefer to live cold weather, I find it much more romantic. Candlelight, red wine, cuddling on the couch, snuggling to get warm. I like to be on holiday in hot weather, to relax in hot weather, but I prefer day to day in cold weather.

I've lived in cold places and have very fond memories of those times.

The first time I went to the Banff Hot Springs it was early January and very cold. You change inside and then head through a heat controlled vestibule where you start stepping into the hot water so you're immersed before you're actually outside. Once outside it was night time, and snowing. Within minutes my hair had frozen.

At the same time that I visited Banff I was living here working for not much at all, but very very happy. Few of us had cars so when we needed to get to Canmore (the nearest town) for shopping, we would have to walk to the nearest road out of the park and wait to hitch a ride. In the middle of winter we could only stay out for 15 minutes and had to keep on the move, it was that cold. I remember the sensation of the cold really leaching through my big boots and all the layers of socks, thermals and tights until they started to ache.

In the UK, not long before we left when I was pregnant with Ella, we went for a bank holiday weekend to Northumberland. I guess it must have been in January again - my god it was cold. There are photos from that time where we're walking around Lindisfarne and you can't even see my face, I was so wrapped up. The beach lost romance on that trip, it was beyond cold!

I also remember a wine flushed face in Chamonix after skidooing up a mountainside in the dark unable to see that we were about to fall off the side of a mountain and sledding down extremely drunk with head lights on that served no purpose, racing to win a challenge and nearly choking I was laughing so hard. By the end I couldn't feel my hands as I'd lost my gloves along the way.

Geoff and I hiking in the Sierra Nevada mountains, being able to smell the jamon of Trevelez miles before we reached it. Warming up inside a cafe with a bocadillo con chorizo and strong hot coffee.

I love the cold weather and I love everything it makes me remember.