Winter Garden

I love gardens and I love Winter, therefore it doesn't take a genius to work out that I love gardens in Winter.  As we moved into this house only two months ago, I do not know my garden yet and have no notion of the secrets it holds within it's earth.  Far from being dormant, it still has colour and life even in December.  The mild days and sunshine have kept leaves on trees for longer and tiny flowers blossoming bravely on.  There is plenty to admire and plenty to look forward to.

This morning I had this lovely view to greet me when I opened the curtains.  The beginning of a beautiful day.  I have a mountain of dirty washing to get through, so the prospect of a sunny day with a light breeze to dry it all was a real delight, which just goes to show how sad and pathetic my life is.  It doesn't yet feel like Christmas though.  We have the tree and decorations up, there are Christmas songs on the radio and the children at the junior school are practising hard for the Christmas play.  But it doesn't feel like Christmas.  I have wrapped all my presents and Christmas cards are trickling through the letter box each day.  I have stacks of chocolate, flour, sugar and jam ready for a mammoth baking session next week and we are counting down the days to the Christmas holidays.  So what is wrong with me?  Actually I'm not the only one, others are feeling the same.  I think it is the weather.  Here in Britain we blame the weather for everything from our mental state to the clothes we wear, so I may as well blame it for my lack of Christmas excitement too.

I feel that we should be enjoying crisp, cold mornings with frost crunching beneath our feet when we walk and our frozen breath hanging in the air;  fingers numb in knitted gloves and scarves wrapped tightly round our necks.  I took the dogs for a walk this afternoon and got so hot in my  winter coat I needed a glass of water when I came home, rather than a steaming mug of hot chocolate.  It doesn't seem right.

H1 complained that he hasn't worn his hat and gloves yet but I have to tell him to put his coat on to take Puppy for a walk, despite his protestations.  It really isn't that warm, but he's a teenager, so what can I expect.  We are all feeling a bit worn out at the moment and seriously looking forward to the Christmas holidays when we can get up later, watch television during the day, eat Quality Street for breakfast and walk the dogs on the beach.  The children are doing their homework while I am writing.  Every few seconds someone sighs in a long suffering fashion, scribbles or rubs out their work and starts again.  I cannot concentrate either.  I keep writing rubbish, deleting it and writing more rubbish in it's place.  Sorry.

Maybe some photographs of foliage will take your attention away from the poor sentence structure.  Are things always this intensely green at this time of year?  I find myself getting excited at the prospect of ordering seeds, drawing a garden plan and finally digging and creating a garden.  One snow fall would send all that scuttling from my mind and into a dark, cosy corner to await the spring warmth.  I long for frost, the glitter of ice and the whisper of snow flakes as they fall slowly to the ground.  I long to be snowed in with my children (providing I have plenty of food, gas and dog biscuits of course) and spend days making snow men and dragging the sledge up and down the lane.  In reality I would do it twice and then collapse in a heap causing great embarrassment to my children who would probably walk off and leave me there, sprawled unbecomingly, pretending they have never seen me before in their lives.  Charming.

While the garden looks pretty now, snow and frost would add a completely new dimension and turn it into a secret garden from a child's story book, full of magic and promises.  It will come, we just have to wait.

In the meantime I need to do something to get me more in the Christmas spirit.  Any suggestions gratefully received!  Hope you are enjoying your December, where ever you are. xxx