February 1st & 2nd
I used to hate winter, and I used to really hate February, the shortest month of the year that ironically felt like the longest. But sometimes you end up doing a 180, like when you decide to close down a blog and then realise six months later that that’s not at all what you want to do 😉. Well, finally this winter I’ve come round to absolutely loving it (ha, forgetting that I very much still abhor Christmas, and can’t see that changing, but never say never I guess?). So how did I get here? It was a gradual surrender, first starting with running through the winters, then switching to cold water swimming six years ago, oh and of course the odd ski trip to the Alps when our budget permitted. I also accepted that the short days and the dark weren’t my enemies, but that I could instead heavily lean into burning candles, turning the lights low and being cosy (basically be more Scandinavian, like how I grew up - duh). Also, to layer up in serious thermals and blankets, and add a hot water bottle if I got too cold at home, because I’m a weirdo that gets cold indoors, but happily swims in frigid water without a moment’s hesitation. I also accept that I will move less and eat more, and that fighting against our innate need to hibernate is futile. In my self inflicted acceptance of loving winter, I’ve forgotten that I’m in the minority, and when I hear others say how much they hate winter I’m surprised now, just as they are when I say that I feel the exact opposite.
My favourite days are the sunny and freezing cold ones, and while we’ve had quite a cold winter this year, compared to last year at least, we haven’t had a lot of sun. So how lucky were we to get this amazing weather the weekend we went to see our friends in Suffolk, at the beginning of the month?
Very lucky. The light on our Saturday afternoon walk was so beautiful.
I tried to catch it wherever I could.
On the Sunday morning we went to Shingle Street,
which for a while felt like a very unfamiliar but cool landscape.
I didn’t bring my swimming gear but Ruby the dog went for a dip.
She refused to jump in a second time to play fetch, because I guess not everyone is a natural cold water swimmer.
I have no idea what my husband and our mate Y were doing here, but I like it.
How did this guy end up here?! It was quite far inland too. Maybe he swam against the tide as well, preferring land to water, whilst his pals all went “What? Why?? You’re mad!!”. In his case it might not have been such a good idea though.
There wasn’t a cloud in the sky that day. In summer we expect days like these and can get disappointed when the sun isn’t out, whereas a sunny day or two or three in winter feels like such a gift. And that’s how I feel about the whole season now, apart from you-know-what, which I need to figure out whether I can change my mind about, because my first thought when I wake up on December 26th is always “Thank f-ck that’s that done for another year!!” 🤣
