Tuesday 29 April 2008

It's cold here this morning. My throat is threatening greater soreness, even though I've been plying it with 3 Beroccas in 12 hours, the juice of 2 lemons, 2 doses of olive leaf extract. There is a daunting heaviness on my lungs that hopefully I have staved off with all of those things. I think I will take my tea steeper and my packet of Neem tea to work and drink that in the afternoon, as well. Not another cold for me. I say nay.

I see, looking at the weather observations, that Mount Dandenong is currently 5.5 degrees. Still, even though it's much colder up there, I would still seriously seriously contemplate moving up there, even for six months or a year. (But central heating would be nice). If it's gonna be cold, you may as well have misty shrouded trees to romanticise the whole experience.

It was so cold last night I wore pyjamas and socks to bed, and on top of my thick doona, my dressing gown.

May always deceives me. I think, "Oh, come on. This isn't so bad!" I am feeling that way right now :) There is a heavy sensuality about Winter. The Winterish things are newly unwrapped for the year and interesting in their novelty. I made soup yesterday (flunked it, can you believe it?), a risotto the night before, comfort food (a tip: if the recipe calls for dry white wine and all you have is champagne, go right ahead. Rocks on).

My art therapist is a winter person. Follows the celtic traditions. Gave me a giant leaf she'd picked, after our last session. Suggested that a good thing to do, coming up to the winter solstice, traditionally the new year in the Celtic calendar, is to dry out the leaf, and then write on it all of the things in my life that I am discarding, whether good or bad, that have outlived their purpose or their time has come to an end. After writing on the leaf, burn it.

Maggie's love of Winter also appeals to me. She loves the inwardness, the closed-offedness, the cosiness. It is a fruitful creative time for her. Hopefully with my creativity more intact than last year, my insanity levels receded (somewhat), and a return to the benefits of light therapy, this Winter can be the same sort of time for me.

There is something to be said for the limiting of choices. Too much choice can create distraction, anxiety. Sometimes being forced to go downtime, makes you realise how tired you are. Revving too hard up in the noise and chaos can remove us from ourselves, send us buzzing around in the cross-winds.

Still. I am missing going barefoot already :)

But all of the seasons have their place. Even the ones that prod me with a bit of trepidation beforehand.

5 comments

  1. I am sympathetic to the plight of winter. I envy the people who enjoy it...I like a few days of it, but not 6 months.

    This time of year the weather is so fickle. It was in the 40's (F) last week and now it's in the upper 60's and it goes back and forth, trying to creep up just a little. Two steps forward, one step back. Not every spring is like that, some yeas spring comes in February...but not this year. This year it's late. I'm hoping for a long summer.

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  2. IT's funny how I breathe a sigh of relief as hot days finally draw to an end and the darker days begin to arrive whilst many people are bracing themselves for depression and miserableness. I really like the sound of Maggie, sounds like she appreciates the same things about winter as I do. I even love the word WINTER..it has a beautiful melancholy feel to it.
    Live in the Dandenongs, Fuzz, in the mists and low hung clouds, I can so see you there :)

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  3. I can understand, Andi, how you're drawn to it. If it didn't depress me, I would probably be drawn to it. Jsut thank God for an efficiently working body clock (well, except for the hours it keeps, hehe :)

    Hey, whose dream is this exactly? Here's an even better one. You guys buy a house that has a granny flat in the back, and then I can pay you rent and help pay off your mortgage and be a built-in babysitter to boot :)

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  4. Done deal!! Im off to talk to Andrew ;)

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  5. the leaf ritual sounds like an interesting thing to do

    i probably love autumn most, changing of the leaves in Bright is awesome if you can get there, but winter is a close second - SNOW!

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