Yesterday..............

.................was a bit of a write off.

It was raining in the morning and raining in the afternoon it might have stopped now and again but it was still half dark all day.

I should have or could have done something useful but didn't. 

Instead I was reading............. A Case of Life and Limb by Sally Smith. The second book she's written about Gabriel Ward KC, set in 1901 in London's Inner Temple Courts. 

It's a good read.

I avoided watching any news from Davos all day. 

Back Tomorrow

January

   A January Painting

                                                                            

                                                                      Morning in January 1956

              Gerald Gardiner (1902 -1959)

A January Poem

Cold is the winter day, misty and dark:

The sunless sky with faded gleams is rent:

And patches of thin snow outlying, mark

The landscape with a drear disfigurement.

The trees their mournful branches lift aloft:

The oak with knotty twigs is full of trust,

With bud-thronged bough the cherry in the croft;

The chestnut holds her gluey knops upthrust.

No birds sing, but the starling chaps his bill

And chatters mockingly; the new-born lambs

Within their straw-built fold beneath the hill

Answer with plaintive cry their bleating lambs.

Their voices melt in welcome dreams of spring,

Green grass and leafy trees and sunny skies:

My fancy decks the woods, the thrushes sing,

Meadows are gay, bees hum and scents arise.

And God the Maker doth my heart grow bold

To praise wintry works not understood,

Who all the worlds and ages doth behold,

Evil and good as one, and all is good

January by Robert Bridges(1844 - 1930)

Can you guess I'm short of things to write about?! 

All Sorts of Winter Books

 In 2024 I did 'Reading the Seasons' and for Winter I read  Arthur Ransome's Winter Holiday, Winter in the Air by Sylvia Townsend Warner, The Woods in Winter by Stella Gibbons and The Winter Killer by Alex Pine.

Since then I've gained two books with Winter titles for my shelves- one is the winter word dictionary mentioned yesterday and then The Nature of Winter by Jim Crumley, found at a charity book-sale in the Autumn.

 ( I also bought The Nature of Autumn at the same time and the library tells me I'd borrowed The Nature of Spring  at sometime too, but have no recollection of reading it).

 I've not got around to reading further than the prologue of The Nature of Winter yet but can already see he is a good nature writer. I've also not had a chance to properly read the two books that I got myself for Christmas as a gift from BiL.

A Year to Slow Down has a Further Reading/ Resources list at the back which includes a book written by by Emma Mitchell - A Wild Remedy; How Nature Mends Us.  In 2017 Emma Mitchell also wrote Making Winter: A Creative Guide to Surviving the Winter Months  so maybe she was the first to write about coping with winter depression. Another book in the list is  Wintering; The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May. That dates from 2020 which is when I read it, although I don't remember if it helped me survive winter!

When I was looking for the date of that book I kept coming up with information of everyone else who's written similar........How to Winter; Harness your Mindset to Thrive in Difficult Times  by Kari Leibowitz. The Gifts of Winter; How to Uncover Seasonal Joy, Health and Happiness by Dr Stephanie Fitzgerald and Winter Wellbeing:Seasonal Selfcare by Cico Books(no author) and finally Self Care for Winter by Suzy Reading.  All published in 2024 or 2025. 

Even crime writer Val McDermid is joining in with a new book that I brought home from the library van. Although this is more about the things she enjoys about Winter rather than just surviving it.....

.............love the front cover - an illustration by Phillip Harris.

I've reserved the books by Kari Leibowitz and Stephanie Fitzgerald from the library - long waiting lists for both so it will be Spring before I get them!

Writing books about Winter survival is obviously a lucrative business! I wonder how we got through without them?!

Weekend, Winter Words and War

Very cold but without snow - that was the weekend weather here in Suffolk. Icy cold wind so my quick walk up and down the lane on Sunday was a hundred yards shorter than usual.

But I also know winter is definitely here as Ski Sunday was back on TV yesterday and there are several new crime series starting. On TV tonight  is one the BBC have done, a remake of the a TV series that they gave up on 20 years ago. It's Lynley made from the Elizabeth George books. Once again the posh  D.I. Lynley [an earl] is paired up with a working class D.S  Barbara Havers. Why are book/TV cops always complicated?

Anyway, paperwork sorting is finished, the shredder back in the cupboard, the folder empty ready for this year. Ironing done and  I made a quiche to use up eggs from before Christmas and then realised I needed eggs for the cheese straws requested by the grandchildren for today and decided I'd better make chocolate brownies too because I was cake-less and it's always good to have something in the freezer. 

I thought I might as well fill up the car with diesel while out and when waiting to get back out onto the road from the garage a car went by with the front and roof covered in snow, so somewhere up the A140 into Norfolk they had that white stuff and might have been able to use the word from the book below.

Back in the summer I came across details of this 2024 book [and later Mary at Trundling Through Life had the book too] and found a copy for under a fiver on abebooks....it's more than £10 now we're actually in Winter. 

For some  January posts  I thought I'd share a Winter Word.

Here's one we rarely get to use - if we even knew it -  in many parts of this country nowadays.

gramshoch - the kind of tumultuous appearance of the sky or clouds that suggests a snow storm is on it's way. (from Scots - where it probably gets more use!)

I had a shock when I did my end of year accounts - found out I'd spent almost as much on books, like that one above, as I did on clothes and shoes! Far Too Much even if they are never at full price and usually second-hand. I need to cut back, as most of the books I read are from the library anyway.

Bombing another country, seizing the leader - doesn't seem like a good idea for winning the Nobel Peace Prize- sounds more like starting a war, instead of the eight he say's he's ended. What next?

 

Back Soon

January 1st/2nd and Just-Stay-In January

  The Twelve Months

Snowy, Flowy, Blowy.

Showery, Flowery, Bowery.

Hoppy, Croppy, Droppy.

Breezy,  Sneezy,  Freezy.

George Ellis (1753 - 1815)

From the Illuminated Book of Days by Eugene Grasset

January 1st passed happily as I spent the day with Son, DiL, YD, the 3 Suffolk Grandchildren and BiL too. We ate a repeat of Christmas dinner - much too much - Son and DiL always cater for a multitude!

Then home to watch another night of all the quizzes - been enjoying them. I couldn't decide whether to watch the first of the new series of Traitors or not so half watched. Before going to son's village I called in at Tesco as my fridge was veg-less, now I don't need to go anywhere for a week and I can get started on all the things to fill up the month although I have two grandchildren here on Monday [PD day for their Mum at school] and they've requested more cheese straws so that's another thing to add to the list.

******************

The Anglo-Saxons thought January 2nd to be the unluckiest day of the year and in Medieval times people thought  marriage, travelling and birth should be avoided.....not sure how they made that last one possible? I'm going nowhere so should  be safe.

Just-stay-in-January came about because I used to dread the month - often getting depressed - it seems to start right after Christmas and goes on forever, only gets lighter by a few minutes and can be the coldest month of winter.....as the day lengthens so the cold strengthens

It isn't to be taken completely literally as there's the weekly Keep Moving Group and  a January Jumble Sale so I'll be there for that and I'll need shopping for fresh stuff - but not much else - hopefully. I thought about a trip out to one of the bigger towns for charity shops but not sure I'll bother if the weather is going to be icy cold.

I've got several things to fill the 'dark days'....................

 [Taking tree, cards and decorations down was top of the list - but it's already done and dusted!]

Letters/cards to write to penfriends in Essex and Scotland

The folder full of 2025  paperwork to sort and keep/recycle or shred.

A jigsaw puzzle to get started

The new diary to fill in dates

A box of books to process and send off to World of Books

Library books still to read - with more due next week. I heard that 2026 is The National Year of Reading here in the UK - that's an easy one to join in with!

New books to enjoy

Dishcloths to knit

And I'd really like to do some cross stitch this year after not doing any for a while, so ought to get started.

And blog posts to write - Hope I can think of things to say!

Back Tomorrow...........

That Spot the Difference Jigsaw Again

 If you had the patience or could be bothered to go back and forward over the two pictures on Tuesday's post then you might have spotted the 15 differences in the puzzle that's now - very handily in Just-Stay-In-January - filled two blog posts!!

The Differences that I found

1. The puzzle has 3 extra rosehips
2. Different Inn Sign
3. Girl holding spade instead of bucket
4. Boy has different coloured trousers
5. The gate has changed colour
6. The chimney on the main house is shorter
7. The white dog is different
8. The Great Tit changed to a Long Tailed Tit
9. Man on sledge has different hat
10. Wheelbarrow facing opposite way
11. Door on house closed instead of open
12. Different church steeple and cross
13. Bus radiator and grill and lights different
14. Pot by house porch different colourway
15. Snowman's scarf is striped

Back Tomorrow if I can think of something to write!

Sue

Just Stay In January

 There was No Spend November which worked well. Decadent December which involved coffee and cheese scones in various cafes and eating too many nice things at Christmas. Now it's 'Just Stay in January!'

This seems a good plan and means using up things left from Christmas, no unnecessary shopping, not going far - so not needing much diesel, and generally hibernating in my warm bungalow,(fingers crossed that hasn't jinxed the boiler which has been behaving nicely for several months now). 

Here's what I'm planning.................

This is the page a day art book that I picked up from the Jumble Sale last year........  better get started. I'm using the Inktense colouring pencils to start with. They came from a boot-sale about 3 years ago, but I've not let the grandchildren loose with them as they are rather nice!

Masters Snooker starts January 12th on BBC and Silent Witness is back next week too.

The new series of The Good Ship Murder starts on the 10th . I've become a fan of Shayne Ward.....can't think why!

The freezer is full of meals that are "ones I've prepared earlier" plus some food bought before Christmas that I'll be using up this month.

I think Eldest daughter and the boys might be up from Surrey to visit. They were away in Thailand for Christmas so haven't had their presents yet.

I've still got several library books unread and there are 6 more arriving for me next week - yikes.

I need to finish transferring info from my old diary into the new one.

This was one of two snowy puzzles that I got from charity shop/boot sale in November and  passed on to DiL as I decided it might have too much annoying snow - like the other which I tried and got cross with. Son and DiL finished  it and said it wasn't too bad so I have it back again to tackle. 

(Son to me - "Mother, surely jigsaws aren't meant to be easy or they wouldn't be called puzzles!") He always calls me 'Mother' when I'm being told off!

There will be just a few outings for fresh food shopping, Keep Moving Group and hope to meet up with my friend from Grammar School days for coffee, perhaps a trip over to the coast to see YD and EGD and take them out for lunch - weather permitting.

Should keep me busy and entertained -whatever the weather throws at us.

Thank you again for all the comments on Wednesday, there were even more added to it yesterday. It's lovely to know that many people enjoy reading. 

Back Tomorrow

Sue