Winter? Done!

I had an extra spring (pardon the pun) in my step when I awoke this morning and that’s because we did it! We survived our first winter down here in the Highlands. When we moved in last Spring people were always happy to tell us “Oh, but you haven’t had a winter yet have you?” and “Oh just wait to see how you go in winter” and now I can say – we did it! And it was fine. Well, it’s still fine, as I think we have a few more months of cooler weather ahead of us yet (hello it snowed here in October last year!) Some things I learnt this winter…

: Winter food and winter eating seem to make me fat. Shorter days, being stuck indoors, biscuits and cakes with tea, hearty stews and soups and roasts and Bearnaise sauce washed down with litres of wine and champagne seem to have made me a few kilos heavier. Funny that. I really need to hit the pavement again…it’s just so boring…

: Heating your house and keeping warm is expensive. Central heating, using the dryer, having wood delivered {many times}, proper woollen jumpers and winter clothing, boots…all add up to a lot of money.

: Washing in the winter has been a pain in the you know where. The shorter days have meant (if by chance it’s sunny) you have a window of 2 or 3 hours where drying will occur. If you leave it out any later than say 2.30pm you have cold, damp clothes. Bring on the sunshine and a warm breeze to dry my endless piles of washing!

: Tights and jumpers have been essential each and every day. Scarves, mittens and jackets now make up a regular part of our wardrobe and not just some fun one off thing you can wear on a weekend away. Kids will always want to wear summer clothes all year round so they need to be removed from their cupboards and drawers. Getting tights on wriggling toddler is a pain in the arse.

: The fire is amazing to look at and each and every single night it has been on (and sometimes the day too) it has been a joy to watch and enjoy. But. But. It’s a lot of hard work. The chopping. The collecting. The stacking. The cleaning. It’s relentless. I am looking forward to a few months where there isn’t a fine layer of ash over everything. I am looking forward to cleaning, and things staying relatively clean.

: Visitor numbers have dropped in the winter months. Which is strange as I figured that people would want to come and sit by the fire and be properly cold, but they haven’t. And it’s been wonderful. We have had a chance to slow down, enjoy our neighbours and neighbourhood, explore local things and just be. It’s been so nice to have a few weekends in a row where we have just been at home.

: The garden has been dormant for months now and I can see it already picking up the pace. The ride on has only had 2 or 3 outings the entire winter and I think it’s been a really nice break for Rob and his once a week, couple of hours mowing and cleaning that it takes in the summer. I am almost ready for it. Certainly more confident than what I was and it’s been great to see what it does each and every season. I feel like I know it all the more. Because I do. Funny that.

So what am I looking forward to next?

: Early morning sunrises and {hopefully} getting out walking my chubbier arse
: Longer days
: Evening drinks on the verandah with Rob
: BBQ’s and eating dinner outside
: Salads and healthier food
: Visitors
: Green leaves, green grass, green everything!

Happy Spring everyone! And to those just coming into Winter now…enjoy…it’s been a good one!

Comments

  1. I love the winter sitting by the fire with everyone indoors together, but I’m ready for some warmer weather. Cue the sunshine, flowers and you may even see me trying on my swimmers…maybe not?

  2. What a lovely summary of your first winter. I loathe winter and the cold so this year was my first ‘no-whinge-winter’ and I am proud to say I did not whinge once…not even in my head.

    Welcome Spring, we are happy to see you.

  3. I miss having seasons. Living somewhere that you need warm clothes and the fire on. Although I remember the work that goes into having a fire, and I’m with you, so much effort!
    Hope the spring/summer treat you well! x

  4. It takes real talent to make the things you find unpleasant sound sooooo nice…well done on that!!! You should do a post-winter post (he he) and tick off how many of these things you get to do…that would REALLY make me jealous 🙂

  5. Winter can suck it. Good riddance.

    Man, I’m hanging for a good weeding this weekend, and planting some herbs in our yard. Bring it! We may even get some chickens in our ‘burban backyard – it’s spring craziness, I tell you.

  6. Yay, sunshine – mind you, we get the sunshine it’s just COLD!! We have just survived our 4th Canberra Winter, bit tough, our last posting was Darwin, brrr, what do you mean it gets below 20C in the middle of the night?? Brrr, i think our coldest evening was -9C, brrr & coldest school drop off was -5C one morning, still my children were in Tshirts & shorts, weirdoes!!
    Beth – get a treadmill, they are brilliant for airing & drying doonas & king size sheets in Winter. Love Posie

  7. What tha? Posie you hang your sheets on a treadmill?….

    We were in the garden all morning..the sun is lovely and it does feel like spring…love it xx

  8. Here in Perth its barely been cold enough to justify lighting the fire all winter – I’ve missed it!

  9. Oh, I have a post of all the things I love about spring just waiting for its time to be published.

    Love this, and agree wholeheartedly. I’m usually quite green, but with the horrible cold weather and being so time poor, the dryer has copped a beating (and I just received the electricity bill). Yikes!

    Bring on spring, I say!

    xx

  10. Congratulations on surviving your first winter! I didn’t realise you lived in the highlands, that’s where I used to live! It doesn’t get nearly as cold here in melbourne. I remember in the highlands our bird bath used to freeze over, and the boys (who were little) would eat the ice out of it! Ick! That was the only winter that we didn’t get sick – I wonder if there were some sort of bacteria in it that killed everything else and kept them healthy!

    The highlands are so beautiful, and I think it is well worth having to put up with the winters. Which part are you in? My husband’s work means that there aren’t jobs there for him (robotics), but if there were, I would move back in a heartbeat!

    Enjoy spring, we always found that there would be one week where the garden would come back to life, and it would go crazy with life!

    xx Sannah

  11. How annoying that I too just want the stupid washing to be dry in a day and don’t want to be paying for the use of the dryer. Winter has felt long this year.

  12. It’s been 15 years since my last full highlands winter and I’m so out of practice I get cold there at Christmas time. Even after three years in Scotland. Well done you for surviving and thriving!

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