On the whole this was a better one for me...perhaps because I feel quite content in myself this year or maybe it was the happy vibe (noisy vuvuzellas and all) that the World Cup soccer brought to our city that did it
Cape Town winters are normally cold and wet. I don't like the dark feelings that come over me at the end of autumn when I see all the signs of winter appearing. I'm sad to see my favourite tree bare it's branches around the end of May.
I don't like freezing feet and I dread the cold mornings. Luckily my husband takes my daughter to school in the mornings and I don't have to leave the comfort of my home or especially my warm bed too early. Layering my clothes is no fun either. The scarfs and jackets that have been waiting patiently in the cuboard during the summer months smell funny and the unpleasant whiff of the first fire of winter takes a day or two to disappear. Walking through puddles and seeing muddy prints on the carpets adds to it all. Winter makes me lose motivation and I struggle to find inspiration because it is unfriendly, grey and at times just plain nasty.
Feeling half-alive is not how I want to spend my days, so I just have to find reasons to enjoy winter and make the most of it. This is how I'm getting through this one:
Wearing my warm flannel pajamas (sometimes even all day long)
Drinking steaming hot chocolate and toasting marshmallows over a flame
Cooking yummy thick soups and stews and enjoying it with the family or friends (no reason to be lonely)
A cosy fire, good book, blanket and stretching out on the old couch (if I get there first)
Being forced to be indoors allows more time for my arts and crafts and of course the well-loved boardgames
Apparently some flowers flourish only in shady spots and some need no sun at all to encourage them to bloom. Would I really appreciate summer so much if there wasn't a cold or wet winter or maybe even no winter? I think winter might teach me patience, tolerance and perseverance. I look forward to the optimism in the air and that fresh feeling and look that one can't pinpoint exactly, that comes with the start of September.
But for now I will make the most of winter - easy to say when spring is around the corner!
It's intriguing to be reminded that half of our earth (minus the tropical middle) is in winter. Blogs give me a reality check on my culture's self-preoccupation. I'm on the side where we are in the midst of a long, hot summer where for weeks we huddle into the one room that has a window air conditioner. And yes, the weather and the amount of sunlight certainly affects me. I dread that low hanging, distant sun of winter. It's on its way. you are right about the best cure: books, home made soups, and hot chocolate of course...with a touch of red pepper! Take that, Winter!
ReplyDeleteI feel the EXACT same way...about summer!! I'm definitely a fall and winter girl! I love the chilly days, layers of clothes, smell of woodstoves...can't wait! Looks like we're both entering into our favorite months!
ReplyDeleteNot sure if you are from or have been the the States. We are in the heat of summer and I'm loving it! Our winter here in Michigan is long and cold. I work hard to tolerate it and find beauty in the snow. I find spring never comes quite quick enough for me.
ReplyDeleteI have another dear blogging friend from SA. I love reading her reports of the seasons and realizing we are on opposite sides of the world.
Blessings and hope you are staying warm.
Reading your comments about winter in Cape Town makes me think it could just as well have read "winter in New Zealand" You blog is heart warming and made me feel all warm and fuzzy XX
ReplyDeleteSjoe, jy kan so goed met woorde prentjies skilder-ek sien dit voor my oe vorm aanneem!
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