Twelve things I like about winter:
1. It’s not hot. By the end of summer I’m way over wiping sweat off everything.
2. Here in the driest state of the driest continent, winter means water is in the dams; creeks are running and ducks are happy.
3. Everything is green. For people living in the northern hemisphere, or in snow regions, that sounds strange. You’re used to trees dropping leaves and everything being covered in snow and slush. But, here in South Oz, it means lush green life.
4. Roast dinners. There’s something morally wrong about hot roast dinners in the summer, with the one exception being Christmas Day. However, I confess they’re losing their appeal now that it’s up to me to cook them.
5. Soup. My latest favourite soup is spicy apple and pumpkin soup. It’s delicious and easy to make.
6. Sitting by the heater with a blanket over my legs and the Wonder Dog snuggled on my lap, under the blanket. Except when he wriggles around and drags the blanket off my feet. (Grr)
7. The football. Especially if I’m watching it on telly, by the heater, with the dog on my lap and a mug of soup in my hands.
8. Lying in bed, wrapped up in the doona, listening to the rain on the roof.
9. Striding across the fields without the worry of a snake biting your ankle. That’s if you still stride anywhere, and I don’t.
10. No one expects you to wear a bathing suit.
11. It’s followed by spring.
12. It’s nearly over.
Snuggled under a blanket with a cup of tea and a good book.
Speaking of which I have a short supply. Must acquire some more.
And as I write this, dark clouds loom on the western edge of town threatening pouring rain, the wind howls through the television antenna and I’m contentedly writing in my office, fire crackling and a warming cuppa at my elbow. Bliss.
Much better than outside on my knees pulling weeds from the roses. What roses?
I hear you, Trevor. There’s something heart-warming about being snug inside when it’s miserable outside.
You’re my peeps, Annette.
Yep, 1, 2, 3 & 8. I also love the crisp clean of a clear blue frosty morning. Oooh alliteration (I think). Gotta get the apple and pumpkin recipe, the days are getting shorter and greyer.
I’ll send the recipe to you, Mark. You’ll whip it up, easy peasy.
And, I should have said: scarves. I love scarves; especially if they’re a colour other than grey or brown. 🙂
In Sydney we do not admit to the existence of winter. Fortunately this year we were right. We have a long warmish season called sprinter, which fades into sprummer then to the heat of summer. I started my spring garden plantings about a fortnight ago.
Winter is so cold. You have to wear slippers rather than bare feet. Sometimes in the mornings or evenings you might have to put on a cardigan. Brrrr. People rush out to buy heaters, which they don’t know how to use and end up burning their houses down. Almost half of all urban fire fatalities occur during this so-called “winter”.
The only thing to do is keep your eyes firmly shut during July and only open them on the first of August, which used to be Wattle Day. Then you get those yellow balls of flowering sunlight. Otherwise it’s hard to get excited about seasons when “winter” last a couple of weeks and “spring” lasts half the year.
Winter. Just say no!
Things are different in Adelaide, Ken. We do each of the seasons equally and thoroughly. I, too, Love the “yellow balls of flowering sunlight” but it’s a bit early for them here. They’ll start appearing in September.
We just got our electricity bill and it was two thirds of what I expected and what it was last year. There’s something to be said for not having a winter.
Well, yes, but does the air-conditioning in summer make up for it? All I can say is, “God bless the chap (or chappess) who invented solar heating.”
I love hot soups in the winter. Pumpkin, pea and ham and I loved the spinach and bacon soup I had last Sunday. That was delicious!
I also love sitting in the car at local footy eating oranges. I loved it as a kid and I still love it.
Well done for eating oranges! It was always a meat pie for me.
We have been hearing complaints in Sydney about our lack of winter. The Christmas-in-July crowd were particularly peeved. But there was one group who missed winter terribly and suffered a terrible loss. It was on the front pages of our business newspapers. One firm in the industry said it had dropped its operating income this year by almost 2 million dollars. They are talking a once in a generation set of difficult business conditions.
The funeral industry has its peak business season in winter and this year in Sydney they suffered a major set back. This was caused by fewer than expected deaths “particularly in Sydney and New Zealand”. We didn’t even get a proper flu season. The only hope for some of them is that the above average temperatures will keep on and kill off lots of people from heat stress in summer.
Winter. Just say no and live longer!
I wonder if that business would consider relocating to Adelaide?
We not only have winter, we also need some new businesses. Especially with Holden cars under threat. As for the funeral industry suffering a downward trend, that’s just bizarre! We have more people die of heat stroke down here. Climate change is here and having disastrous effects. (That is, if lack of deaths can be considered disastrous.)