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!