Tuesday, June 19, 2012

FREEDOM: My feelings on Winter.


It's WINTER here in Adelaide, South Australia.

I'm really lucky. I know it. I don't have to get out of bed at the "crack of sparrows" and go to work anymore. I tried to use my psychology degree for good, but I ended up running a small business which killed my love of working with people.......I saw the dark side, and it just really really disappointed me.

Now when I wake up in the winter-time and open my eyes to focus on the day...... and see something like this:


Fog and mist. I think back on the number of times I stood at the bus station at 6:30am waiting till my bus came to take me to the city, freezing and trying to stay out of the mist. Looking at the morose faces of those doing the same thing.

So in the fog and mist, which actually cleared really quickly and out came the sun (well it is Australia after all) I looked around my garden and smiled.

Across the road, where the trees that line the ravine are in their leaf-less winter state.... four beautiful colourful parrots were chattering loudly amongst themselves...


Dewdrops balance precariously on the little pink flowers that are not supposed to flower past summer....


The sun starts to fire up:


I love the winter here, many think I am nuts,


I don't care,


I love that I don't have to deal with perspiration that runs down the face, and destroys any attempt to wear make-up and look nice,


I adore the comfort food....the hot pies, the pea and ham soup.....the warm bread rolls straight out the oven, marshmallows melting on top of my hot chocolate ....... (I'll deal with the weight watchers issues later) 


Wearing "polar fleece", my "ugg boots", thick socks and soft scarves around the neck......


Not to mention, crackling open fires, that give a warm atmospheric glow to the room.... oh - and snuggling under throw rugs with my mini schnauzer on the couch at night watching TV.....


Looking out at the rain or storms from the safety of my house......


I adore the fact that you can get warm a lot easier than you can escape 40 degree heat, or the misery of humidity that fools you into thinking that you forgot to step OUT of the sauna or steam room ......


When I am hot and flustered, I have the energy for nothing - the energy is sucked out of me  .... apart from fantasising about the onset of winter around the corner.

Now I admit, I have never encountered the extremes of wintery weather of the snow covered every things or the temperatures that are below 0. My relatives in Sweden and Canada say if I had winters like they did - I would be changing my mind really quickly. I do acknowledge and agree with their points of view. I've never had to shovel snow or "de-ice" my car. That doesn't sound like fun!

So I am lucky to have the winters of Adelaide..... and I'll continue to sing it to the world.

I hope you liked the photos of my winter snapshots of my garden that I took this morning.....after the fog lifted and the sun came out.

I am lucky and grateful for what I have.

Right now I am off to finish my bread dough, and form it into small rolls, ready to rise then bake..... and serve with my homemade Pea and Ham Soup which we will enjoy this evening....... can't WAIT!






7 comments:

  1. It all sounds so wonderful but I dissagree with your relatives in Sweden and Canada because I love the cold of winter, I love the snow, there is nothing more delightful thatn going to bed on a cold night and waking up to a fresh blanket of pure white snow ... and then some naughty puggy goes out in the garden and makes "yellow snow" Hee,Hee! I also like that I can have a few days off work if the snow gets really deep, here in Wales we dont seem to cope as well in the winter and everything stops, but its only when things stop that all the Village come out in force, getting food and clearing the roads together, its a wonderful time! I wish I didnt have to work, I get up at 7am and that is the only things about the Winter I hate, the darkness going to work and coming home! Urg! I really enjoyed reading this post today! Love, Licks and Hugs from Frank and Framks Mum (Jem) XxXxX

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    1. Hi Jem, pleased to meet a fellow coldie like me. It's lovely that you have a village that will "pull together" and help everyone get through the situation.......really lovely. I think the bigger the town or city....the less of that would be present!! My friend (originally from Manchester UK) has told me horror stories of the danger of wintertime with true blizzard conditions, with black ice and people slipping on the sidewalks and breaking their bones!! (She is a nurse) She would not go back to it for "all the tea in China". She's quite happy here, but like me, suffers through some of the brutal heat that our summers deliver! PS: Rubie is in training for the extreme weather sports event...... we are basing ours in Summer!

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  2. OH the pictures are gorgeous. You are a very good photographer.

    Ham and Pea soup??? We LOVE that here on our hill. Do you use dried split peas?

    PS I was wondering if you got the emails with the list of Event Hosts and their EMAIL and URL addys? I had the wrong email addy for YOU..on the First list sendings.

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    1. Yes - I use dried split peas and a yummy smoked ham hock. I used to make it over 2-3 hrs but recently I bought myself a pressure cooker..... so I made this soup in 45min cooking time! It was soooo good. I'll post the recipe sometime!

      I'll email you separately about the event stuff.

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  3. Unfortunately I did have to go out in the fog to work but being originally from pommie land these winters are a piece of cake !

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  4. Oh, you have very pretty pictures. It is hard to imagine a winter with flowers LOL We have those cold winters and I HATE the cold but nothing is prettier than freshly fallen snow and playing in the snow and using the snowblower!! LOL Enjoy your nice winter.

    Diana (Jazzi's mom)

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  5. I took 3 days off because I am so tired of going to work. I wish I can retire this minute. You have done the right thing.

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