Winter’s pretty much already with us if the temperature and weather down here are anything to go by at the moment, and as much as I love to be able to go to the beach when it’s sunny and bright for the rest of the year, winter brings its own comforts. There’s nothing nicer than being inside in the warm, wearing the kind of comfortable clothes that make you look like a sack of potatoes.
I first got that feeling of ‘Ahhh, the year’s winding down’ the other evening. Sat on the sofa with a hot drink, feet up and watching a film. Nothing, in my opinion, comes close to topping that level of cosiness and satisfaction. Well, maybe adding a nice winter fruit crumble with some fresh custard, but not before my grading! It must’ve been good, as I fell asleep and missed the end of the film!
Another favourite thing to do is take up position in a big comfy chair, have a fire going and read something – ordinarily some cheesy adventure or mystery – with a nice glass of whisky or something similar to hand. Stodgy food is another winter must too, a good stew, or a slow-cooked chilli maybe. If it’s teeming with rain and looking like the end of the world outside, this all adds to the effect and makes you even more glad to be there in the warmth.
I’d love to have some proper snow at Christmas. We haven’t had a decent amount of snow for years and years now. It’s even more difficult to get any down here due to being surrounded by coastlines. As much as it gets cold it’s also often the most temperate part of the country, so anything that does fall doesn’t tend to stick. I really want to see what the pup makes of snow too, although I suspect he might not be all that impressed when it clumps up on his abundance of fur.
I can’t wait to get the lights and decorations up now, but I think it’s going to be a week or two before that happens yet. I have my eye on some nice new lights for this year, once payday hits I may go and treat myself the house. Plus there’s the fun of picking a tree to look forward to :). Expect lots of pictures once it happens.