WINTER is coming!
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It’s been waylaid; like your child on their way to dinner. You know they will show up eventually just as soon as they’ve finished one very-important, special project, that absolutely won’t wait for something as trivial as eating. When they do finally arrive, they remember they haven’t yet washed their hands. Arrgh!
The cooler weather turned up momentarily late last week before it took off just as quickly at the weekend.
I wasn’t even sure how to go about the Mother’s Day Classic in Wodonga on Sunday morning without dodging puddles and with no umbrella to juggle. Turns out it’s totally doable in the dry!
On Friday night when winter first showed up my girls and me rugged up to watch The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), the first adaptation of CS Lewis’ fantasy series.
With a running time of 145 minutes, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was the perfect lead-in to a wintry weekend.
When the weather turned out fine, we put Prince Caspian (2008) and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010) on the back-burner.
Here’s the other things I’ve got on hold until cooler weather finally turns up:
- Soup. I’ve made a couple of sneaky batches of pumpkin and coriander soup, but it’s just not the same in the mild autumn weather.
- Knitting. Having only taken up knitting when I had my first child, the main thing I learnt to knit was booties. If you know anyone expecting a winter baby, message me. Second thoughts, I’m a really slow knitter! Maybe a spring baby!?
- Hygge. The Norwegians founded it, the Danes made it their own and the western world can’t get enough of it! Hygge is a mood of coziness and comfortable conviviality with feelings of wellness and contentment. You can really up the hygge ante with candlelight. I’ve been lighting candles after dark but I feel like I could burn much more.
- Red wine. Like the rest of the Australian adult population, I have been rediscovering chardonnay for the first time since the 1990s. Beechworth growers are doing amazing things with this winegrape. As a seasonal drinker, it’s fair to say I feel like it’s high time to have a red instead.
- Netflixing. I refuse to binge-watch TV when the weather is fine. I haven’t committed to a series since about July. It was possibly Outlander, all of the seasons though, back-to-back. Unfortunately the sixth and final season of the American political drama web television series House of Cards is not due for release until later this year. With Kevin Spacey out of the picture, I’m looking forward to Robin Wright putting her stamp on the eight-episode season. As for obvious wintry viewing, I couldn’t get past the first season of Game of Thrones. It’s definitely me, not them. People’s whose opinions I rate highly have told me so!
- Baking. I’ve lost my baking mojo with all of this fine weather. Spicy pear cake and banana bread are on the horizon, but not in anyone’s lunchboxes. Oh well, it’s the thought that counts!
- Reading. For Mother’s Day I got a book of vouchers from my first-born daughter. One voucher states: “I will take care of everything while you read.” There is no time limit listed nor expiry date in sight. This is easily the best gift I have received from anyone in my whole life. I am now waiting for a rainy day to redeem it!
