Do you recognise me underneath all these layers? Outside my employer’s home-office front door, directly opposite the liftwell, is a full-length mirror that kindly reminds me every day just how becoming my winter uniform is. In the streets, a touch of colour in a scarf or hat is a welcome sight – everyone is decked out from head to toe in basic black and variations thereof.

After work today I bought on sale a pair of fur-lined waterproof boots – not because I wanted them, but because I’ve been told by locals that I simply do not want to be without a pair when the below-freezing temperatures are joined by howling wind and rain. Cold is one thing; cold and wet is entirely another.