Winter Blues

Hi every one....

Remember me???  It's been a really l-o-n-g time since my last post, I know!!!  You see, I have been without my laptop for all of this time, with just a few stolen moments on the net every now and again.  Not even enough time to catch up on news from any of my bloggy friends!!! But it's OK, Little Miss J needed it more!!! 

It's so good to have my laptop back again!!!!!!

And you know what?  I have missed you!!!!  I missed not knowing what you have been up to!!!  More often than not, your stories have been wonderful 'pick-me-uppers'!!! There are such incredibly kind and inspiring people out there and it's really good to be talking to you again!!! 

Summer!!! Wonderfully green and wet!!!  Just so beautiful!!!!

Incredibly, I have written this part over and over again, trying to go back and update you on the last 6 months, but it's just not working!!! It's old news!!! So I have decided to just start with what's happening right now!!!

Winter!!!  Dry, dusty and windy!!!!

It's mid June and winter has finally arrived here in my little corner of the world!!! Overnight!!! 
Just yesterday I was still in sandals and a light cardigan!!! 
Oh I hate winter!!!
No!! No!! I actually love winter!!! But only if it's really cold!!! Like the really frosty morning we woke up to the yesterday!!! -8 deg C!!! 

A layer of frost on our thatch roof

And this is what I love about winter....
... cuddly scarves and hats that hug you with their warm fuzziness...
... warm and hearty stews and big pots of soup that fill your tummy with their goodness...
... folding your hands around a steaming cup of hot chocolate and feeling the warmth of it seep down to your little toe...
... sitting in front of a roaring fire, sipping old brown sherry and listening to the wind and rain lashing down outside...
... feeling the warmth and weight of a beloved granny square blanket while you lie snug and warm in his arms...
... going shopping in a gorgeous trench coat and beautiful leggings...
... long hot soaking ('till there's no more hot water) bubble baths with my favourite book and a bottle of champers...
... game nights with family and friends and a 'hot' pot of chicken curry...
... crocheting a beautiful warm blanket in front of the telly... 
These are all the things I l- o- v- e about winter!!!

This is the road to my house!!!

But that is not what my winters are like!! 

Hope this little tree will survive the frost!!!

Instead it is....
... scarves, hats and gloves are only for very early frosty mornings and there are very few of them, soups and stews - well I am the only one who loves them so I hardly ever make them, no fires (especially with a thatch roof) and no rain during our winters, I still enjoy a hot chocolate late at night and sherry, well truthfully I don't need winter to enjoy that!!! 

Cool and frosty!!!

I love my blanket and I do use it a lot, but mostly, it's not really cold enough and his arms, well they are now mostly filled by his beloved pussycat (who really loves the colder weather) and should I get too close to his liking, a 'friendly' growl tells me to back off!!! 

Jack Frost really had a ball here on the kennel!!!

Shopping has become nothing but a dream, so has a bath and champers (we only have showers), crochet (this is really not a seasonal thing but a wonderfully addictive disease!!!) 
and so crochet and curry is about the only thing that is still on, only now it has become 'mild' instead of 'hot' (it's just a taste bud thing that came with age - use to love the hot stuff but not so much anymore) curry!!! 

So, as you can see, winter is not my favourite season!!! We are so not geared for cold weather! We build our houses to be comfortable in long hot summers, so right now it is actually warmer outside than inside!!! 
Although temperatures do plummet at night, and sometimes to well below zero but as soon as the sun comes out, it warms up to the mid 20 deg C!!!  So you start your day all dressed up and by 9am you already start removing the layers of clothing!! Hubby almost never wears long pants!! The only difference between summer and winter for him is a T-Shirt under his shirt!!! 

Every blade of grass is covered in a layer of frost!!!

Everything dries out and dies (no rain) and you live in this brown place with not a hint of green anywhere!!! No flowers or green grass or green trees!!! Nothing!!! 

Frosty flakes on the kennel!!!

Just Depressing!!! 
And then if that's not enough the whole world around you becomes a fire hazard as well!!! Daytime hours are so short, you go to work in the dark and then you come home in the dark!!! Last night, mid June, we still slept with our fan on!!! Under the covers but with the fan on!!! Who can enjoy a winter like that??!! No!!! It's almost like an 'almost winter'!!! Do you know what I mean?? It must either be really cold or not!!! Not start cold, then warm up and even get to mildly hot and then cool again at night!!! No thank you!!!

Just look at my poor lawn!!!

I think you can imagine how much I love the rarely cold days we get, like the one on these photos and it stayed like that all day!!! Loved it!!! But it will probably not happen again so I am wishing winter would just come and go now!!! Luckily it is short, 2 months!!! And I am sooooo looking forward to Summer when my world will once again look like this!!!

Summer!!!! Wet and green!!!!!!

Well it's been wonderful to talk to you again and I promise, see you soon!!!!!!!!

Love Always
AMarie