Chillblains

After being in Orford for a few days I got a bit blasé thinking it wasn’t all that cold outside and popping outside with just slippers on.  A few days later I suddenly felt that my feet were on fire, it was as if each toe had worn an expensive but ill-fitting new pair of shoes and went out dancing all night without me knowing about it and my toes had blisters surrounding each toe.  Someone suggested it sounded like chillblains which are a mild version of frostbite that can occur when going from very cold to warm environments.  When I asked how long it would last I was told that the pain and discomfort can last from a few days to several months!  Two days of self-Google-diagnosing the situation I read in several places that a home remedy was to walk barefoot in the snow.  Later that evening and after two different creams provided no relief I ran across the garden in the freshly fallen snow and am pleased to report that it instantly relieved almost all the burning and over the next day I walked barefoot a further two times and they ceased to hurt at all.  The lesson of this story is to protect your feet from the cold by wearing proper footwear and to warm them up slowly should they get cold and if all else fails and you do get chillblains, you had better hope you have snow nearby.