Winter Wonderland

 With winter officially here in a few days we are starting to see its presence. These photos were taken just before sunrise on a very cold morning with a minus 6 degrees C frost. I love the way the frost decorates the edges of the leaves and makes the lawn crunchy to walk on. It looked magical and dressed our garden in a whole new way.

Winter to me means wearing warm scarves, merino wool clothing, down jackets, cosy boots and hats - all things I love pulling out to wear again. Sitting by the fire and drinking cups of tea or a chai latte, eating soup and bread, doing hand crafts or reading, looking out at the wintry weather - all good for the soul and a reason to stop and just be. 

I often think about people on days gone by who used this as a time of hibernation to hunker down and spend time keeping warm. It must have been challenging living in houses that were poorly insulated and I realise how lucky we are to have a warm dry home with reliable heating. I am aware that there are many people in the world today who still struggle managing with being cold and it makes me even more grateful for what we do have. Everyone should have access to warm food and drink, heating and warm clothing so then winter can be a time where they can see the beauty in this season rather than spend it feeling miserable.

It always reminds me of a quote I first heard Billy Connolly say when he was sitting underdressed in a tent in Antarctica - "There's no such thing as bad weather, only inapproapriate clothing" Ranulph Fiennes. 

This weekend coming we have a code red weather warning with a large amount of rainfall due over a 48 hour period it it will definitely be a weekend hunkered down to keep warm and dry inside!

Happy Winter - keep warm!