It’s been cold in Oslo for the past week. Not so cold that it’s breaking any records, but cold enough for it to be a topic of conversation almost everywhere you go. The temperatures dropped right after new years, reaching double digits. -14, -12, -17. It also snowed heavily one day, and for the following two days, the city was perfectly white and cold, the fjord covered with a thin layer of ice.
The boat, where I live, has also been cold. We’ve been running both the diesel burner and the electric heater, managing to get the temperature up to a decent +17 degrees, at least on most days. The bright yellow winter tarp on Albatross is now white. The icicles on the service building keeps getting longer. And the steel frames around the windows of the boat has now got a layer of frozen condensation on them, on the inside that is. But every day, someone magically clears the snow off the floating dock, and that is a gift.
Despite Albatross being cold, life is still widely the same. In my wool socks, wool slippers and wool sweater, I still make dinner and still do the dishes. I still carry the laundry to the marina service building, although it is now a little sketchy walking on the gangway with all the snow and ice. And I still go to work, in the dark, and return, in the dark, to the boat, when being covered by the tarp, is dark.
Coming home to Albatross after work today, I felt a great sense of gratitude for entering the +14 degrees warm boat. The ten minutes walk from the bus station had left me freezing, as I had forgotten to put on thermal pants under my jeans. Entering the almost 30 degrees warmer boat felt like the tropics. I said thank you to the electric heater, turned on the diesel burner, and put on both flames on the propane stove. All heat sources were running. By the time my instant noodles were ready, the diesel burner was pushing hot and dry air through the vents and into the saloon. Then, sitting with my cold feet directly in front of the outlet, I ate my noodles. I had everything I needed and no complaints.