Ice skating seems to
have become very popular here in the UK, with ice rinks opening in time for
Christmas every year in various locations – outside the Natural History Museum in
London and in the courtyard of Somerset House being two of them. Hurrah, I say!
For me, ice skating
was something I did as a child all winter long.
From the moment the first snow arrived and it was cold enough for ice to
form, the skates came out of the closet (although usually they had to be traded
in for a bigger pair as I’d grown over the summer). At all the schools in my home town, the
janitors would get their water hoses out and start pouring water onto the
football pitch, layer upon layer which was left to freeze each night until
finally we had our improvised skating rink.
We were allowed to use it during break times and many of our PE lessons
were held there too. Huge fun!
The Swedish lakes
take a little longer to freeze to the right thickness – you don’t want to skate
on a lake unless you’re absolutely sure you’re not going to fall through the
ice! (Although just in case, all Swedish
kids are given lessons on how to get out of the hole if you should happen to fall in). But once they freeze, it’s lovely to fly
across the ice on your skates, sun shining on the huge polished expanse. You just have to watch out for any bumps, ie
little waves that have frozen in mid-lift, or you go flying in a completely
different way and risk knocking your teeth out!
(I almost did once but got away with a bruised and bleeding chin).
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Photo from Wikimedia
File:January-scene-skating-early-1820s.jpg
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Ice skating has been
around for thousands of years – Vikings, for example, strapped bits of polished
bone to their shoes, a practical way of getting around quickly as you can go
quite fast. The Dutch made things easier
by inventing the steel blade with sharp edges – more or less what we still use
today – and ice skating came to England from the Netherlands, becoming very
popular especially in the 19th century. It’s obviously been a source of winter
enjoyment for ages, as witness all the Christmas cards featuring ladies in long
dresses gliding across ponds with some gallant man holding their hand (or not).
Winters in England
used to be more severe so the chances of finding some suitably iced over pond
must have been much greater. And even if
people couldn’t afford the metal runners to tie onto their shoes, I’m sure they
found other ways of sliding on the ice. My
friends and I certainly did, the few times we’d forgotten our skates at home!
Anyone can learn, but
obviously it’s not easy in the beginning.
As long as you remember to bend slightly forward though (never lean
back!), you won’t fall far. Even better,
if you have a helping hand to hold onto, it’s a great way to pass an hour or
two on a cold winter afternoon – I’d highly recommend it!
Happy Christmas
everyone!
Christina xx
PS. Check out my latest Regency novella, Never Too Late, which is out on Kindle
tomorrow!
