Even in the dark and bitter cold of a freezing January, life, in all its variety, had to go on. At a time when the simplest of domestic chores became a test of ingenuity and endurance, people got married, babies were delivered, journeys were undertaken. Here are stories of all that, and more. There’s the inspiring story of the elderly goldfish, the train-ride from hell, the fifteen problem chimps, the exploding stove and the burning tree. There’s a story from an eighty-five-year-old poet, a child of ten, and even one from a dog.