A Winter's Girl

I used to be a real Winter’s girl. You know the poem:

When icicles hang by the wall,

And Dick the shepherd blows his nail,

And Tom bears logs into the hall,

And milk comes frozen home in pail;

When blood is nipped, and ways be foul,

Then nightly sings the staring owl.

Tu-whit, wu-who! A merry note,

While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.

When all aloud the wind doth blow,

And coughing drowns the parson’s saw,

And birds sit brooding in the snow,

And Marian’s nose looks red and raw,

When roasted crabs hiss in the bowl,

Then nightly sings the staring owl,

Tu-whit, tu-who! A merry note,

While greasy Joan doth keel the pot.

~ William Shakespeare

I love that feeling of shivering by a warm fire or else hugging a hot water bottle to my chest in the night. I feel comforted in winter, in a way that summer doesn’t seem to allow (particularly an Australia summer). I love jumpers and knits and blankets and hot chocolate with marshmallows, and reading by a wonderfully scented candle in the dark mornings...

Glasshouse Candle: Bora Bora

And yet, this year, I was so sure that I was pumped for Spring, instead, leaving Winter by the wayside. Beautiful, crisp, stinging Winter. And today marks the unofficial end of Winter, and I feel a little like I betrayed an old friend. Never has the head beaconed me, never have I wanted the Winter months to end. Except this year.

I don’t know why I feel like that. I suppose it’s silly, isn’t it, but then again it’s made me realize how wonderful all the seasons are, and how much I should look forward to them all.

Yes, Winter has the inspiring cold, but Spring has new growth and the energising feeling of warmth flowing through your bones. Summer, too, has it’s ups, with holidays and swimming and time for family and friends. Autumn, though, has to be one of my favourites, with the onset of Winter showing its colours in brilliant yellow and red.

I think I should revise the first sentence of this post: I am a real Winter’s girl. But I’m just as enthusiastic and excited for the rest of the year, too.