After a wet and wild weekend – and devastatingly so up north – we can safely say winter arrived right on time and has settled in for the next 90 days or so. (Mind you, I’m no meteorologist!)

Extreme weather aside, let's consider the benefits of living somewhere that generally gets all of the seasons and in the right sequence – not all in one day like Melbourne or Wellington, NZ.

I’m really only warming to winter; let’s look on the bright side with this baker’s dozen 2016.

1) Comfort food. Salads are super but not as satisfying as stews and soups. Stephanie Alexander's big orange book is still my Bible for wholesome and hearty dining in. My other go-to foodie is English cheesy-geezer Jamie Oliver. His spicy capsicum soup is my favourite of the moment.

2) Hot drinks. Warm coffee or hot chocolate taste better on a cold day. It’s hard to get more Albury than a dark hot chocolate in the window seat at Chocolate Labrador and a copy of The Northern Folk CD to go.

3) Snow season. As a failed skier I still enjoy taking our daughters tobogganing at Falls Creek once or twice a year. My husband and I take turns to drag our five-year-old back to the top of the run; it was impossibly hard until we realised she was digging her hands into the snow the entire length of the return trip! We never let the girls know in advance which day we'll go, meaning last year we woke the youngest with: “Do you want to build a snowman?” She got wet, ate the snow and wanted to go home before lunch but she's forgotten all about that now. The other day she said: "I love winter because we get to build a snowman!" Hooray for selective memory.

4) Stocking stitch. I only rediscovered knitting on maternity leave a decade ago. It totally appeals to my inner multi-tasking self – knit one, purl one, Four Corners one, green tea one, referee sibling dispute one. Cast off. Strangely, I can never account for all of the slipped stitches.

5) Movie marathons. My favourite food films of all time are Ratatouille, Chocolat, The Hundred-Foot Journey and Babette’s Feast … in that order. Alternatively a Roald Dahl line-up always goes over well in our home.

6) House Rules. Our eldest daughter and I look forward to the Sunday night renovation show’s room reveals; we bypass the rest of the week. A little less conversation, a little more renovation, please!

7) Mulled wine … in moderation, of course. Mulled wine not in moderation is a very unattractive look! 

8) Porridge. #seeporridgeporngallery in last week’s column.

9)​ Baking. Australian chef/food writer Matthew Evans is my preferred baker man but you can hardly go wrong with Donna Hay either.​

10) Cycling. No magpies until spring ... ring-a-ding-ding! ​

11) The NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge. I don’t even know how much the Premier reads but the annual read-a-thon for school children may be the NSW government’s greatest achievement this term. Living on the border, it’s hard to tell sometimes! 

12) Rutherglen Winery Walkabout and Weekend Fit for a King. The North East does food festivals bigger, better, stronger and longer than all of the others. Here’s cheers to that!

13) AFL. I almost forgot how sweet the Aussie Rules can be when your team is winning. #joininthechorus