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I don't know what your housing situation is, but your post calls to mind Harry Arno, the protagonist in Elmore Leonard's novel Pronto.

Harry wants to retire and move to Rapallo, Italy, dreaming of an idyllic existence in a villa by the sea. Unfortunately for Harry, his memories of Rapallo were from the summertime, when he was there during the war. Now it's winter, and Harry struggles in vain to keep the drafty old building heated.

Where I live isn't freezing in the winter. We get a few nights that dip below freezing, but that's about it. Winters are cold and wet but day time temps generally stay between 50-55 degrees. We do get howling winds for days at a time though; 50-70mph. Snow's a rarity though we've had a few snow storms through the years. The main issue is the recent insane rise in electricity costs and how to get around that. Bills have more than doubled in the last year.

My house is a gorgeous old townhouse in a medieval, hilltop village, which I singlehandedly restored over a five year period. It was a complete wreck when I bought it. The building is stone with walls three feet thick and concrete tile floors, so it stays relatively cool in the summer but gets chilly, and in some rooms damp, in the winter.

I bought two small wood stoves to solve that problem this season.