January

I really don't like January.  This one seems to be dragging on a bit.  The relentless rain and wind are beginning to get everyone down and ten minutes at the school gates in an afternoon reveals that contempt for the month runs deep.  We are all tired, fed up and oh, so bored.  The mornings are getting darker, I'm sure of it and even though the weather man insists it is mild for the time of year, it still feels pretty chilly to me.  The damp seeps into my bones and makes me feel old and gloomy as I shuffle about dressed like a tramp in many layers, with a cup of scalding hot tea in my hands.  The only thing that keeps my spirits up is the certain knowledge that we are at least heading into the light side of the year.  Oh Spring, do hurry up!

On the whole, it has been a rubbish week.  H2 is unhappy at school, partly because he is getting emotionally ready for high school, although he has a while to go yet.  He is bored with the limitations of primary school and is desperate to spread his wings a little and learn more.  Pea is feeling bogged down with the amount of work she has.  Revision and homework is too much for anyone.  Young people need to have a bit of fun now and then, particularly if they are working hard at school, as all too soon they will be adults with all the joys of mortgages, bills to pay and families to care for.  Enjoy it while you're young I say.  H1 just hates school in general, but there's not much I can do about that, sadly.

The dogs spend a lot of their time pacing about, looking for some action to alleviate their boredom.  Not much to be had around here, I'm afraid.  They (and I) have endured some very damp walks this week, which are not joyful for anyone, especially with the amount of mud they bring back with them.  Brian the Blueberry is looking terribly unwell in the poly tunnel.  The cold has got to him, despite his layers of cosy fleece, and his frail twig-like branches have gone brown.  Oops, not good.  H1 covered him up with a bucket so hopefully that will save his little life and he will live to a ripe old age.  The snowdrops in the garden are in full bloom and look like a sprinkling of snow around the base of a possibly-but-not-quite-dead tree.  Something lovely happened during the week; for two days the rain clouds parted and the sun shone through, quite unexpectedly.  It was delightful and my mood and spirits soared like birds on a soft breeze.  While I was putting the washing out (yes, it dried!) I could feel the warmth of it's rays on my back and in those few moments I felt that life is really rather wonderful.  Funny how weather has such and impact on our lives.  All the mums at the school gate were smiling and chatting about how lovely it was to have a dry, sunny day.  We are all so desperate!

I discovered this one morning.  The warmth of the sun had brought out tiny shoots of Hawthorn.  Real, zingy, fresh green.  Yippee!  A joy to see and confirmation that things are starting to change for the better.  The birds were singing like they meant it while the sun was out and some blue tits have been investigating Pea's bird box.  Buds are appearing on trees and tiny plants pop up in my unknown garden almost every day.  During a nasty rainy day this week, Postie dropped a small box through my door.  It contained the seed order I had placed only last weekend.  That certainly put a smile on my face!  How I love seeds.  The promise that is held in those tiny specks of dust and the garden you can create with them is only limited by your imagination - and your budget.  I wanted to buy all the seeds we need for the kitchen garden and a kind of cottage garden cutting meadow we want to create, for less than £35.00.  When Pea and I added it up, I'd potentially spent over £40.  Difficult decision, but I ruthlessly crossed off lavender and aubergines and brought the total down to £35.41.   Forty one pence over budget; I can live with that.

And I got such a lot too, look!

Next I sent for some seed potatoes (Pink Fir Apple) and some shallot sets.  They arrived two days later, so as you can imagine, I was a very happy bunny for a few days.  Now I need a new note pad and a few hours to sort out a planting plan for the kitchen garden and a seed sowing list.  The cottage garden meadow thingy will just evolve.  There are already some plants there, so I think it will be best to just fill in the gaps and see how things go.  Most of them are hardy annuals that we can collect the seed from and sow again next year and if we take lots of photos and write notes, we can make improvements as we need to.  So much fun!

Yesterday however, was again cold and wet.  I went to Welsh class and was delighted to see my former tutor back with us again after having a nasty accident in the Autumn.  To say she broke her wrist is an under statement; she basically mangled it and now has lots of bits of metal in it to hold it all together.  We all really missed her (although I loved having Babs teach us too) and it was lovely to have her back.  Those feelings of kindness towards here were, however, short lived as she proceeded to work us to death with a determination to get us all speaking Welsh if it is the last thing she ever does.  Knowing how we are as a class, it probably will be the last thing she does.  I don't believe she broke her arm at all.....

So after all that brain work and a horrid afternoon of wind and rain, I decided that today I would buy chocolate.  It has been the kind of week that needs a restful few days at the end of it with the pleasure of eating chocolate, knowing it is well deserved and not greedy at all.  So I bought a large (ish) Toblerone this morning and have only eaten two triangles so far.  I am saving the rest for tonight, when the curtains are drawn against the night, the fire is on and everyone is warm and cosy.  Apart from Pea though, as she has gone ice skating with her friends and won't be back until the 9.15pm train.  So I will have to leave my comfy nest and go and get her.  Bet she's having an amazing time.

Only one more week of January and then February will be upon us, thank goodness.  We will all feel better then, and won't have long to wait until the half term holidays.  The year will be underway and the better days just around the corner.  Tea, cake, good books and warm fires are the antidotes to January days and nights. Diets and exercise can wait a while!

Have a good weekend and beat the January blues! xxx