The Coldest Week And Nobody Owns A Coat

There is no radiator. There has never been a radiator. There are tiles, and high ceilings, and a wonderful cross-breeze that in January is a blessing and in July is a personal enemy. The whole family is on one sofa under one blanket watching television none of them chose.

For three weeks there were eleven people and four mattresses on the floor and an argument about the remote every evening. On Monday there was one kettle boiling for two cups and a silence that took some getting used to. It is nice. It is also not nice. Both are true.