Wednesday 20 November 2019

Wednesday

A combination of a really bad night's sleep the night before last and a really cold, foggy morning this morning meant that I slept very well last night and didn't actually wake up until eight o'clock this morning.   Oddly enough I have not felt refreshed by having such a good night but have been lethargic all day.   Luckily I had little or nothing which had to be done today so I have had a very easy day.

Wednesday is that day when mostly friend S so kindly takes Tess for her walk and by afternoon today it was sunny but cold.   Even Tess wasn't as keen on walking as usual friend S reported but they did their usual walk round and then S came in for a nice chat and a coffee and we had a really good chat while Tess retreated to her bed and went back to sleep. After S had gone it was almost time for  The Repair Shop on tea-time television - a programme I enjoy hugely.   Also I had tried a casserole in my slow cooker  and I had a bowl full and it was delicious, so I am slowly learning how to use the slow cooker to my advantage.

I remembered today how my mother always called November and December 'the dark days before Christmas' and really this is as good a name as any for them.   Although it was a sunny afternoon I still had the blinds drawn by four o'clock and they will not be opened again until eight in the morning so that is sixteen hours out of the twenty four when our houses are closed up to the outside world.   I am just glad I don't live any nearer to the Arctic Circle.   I remember being above the Arctic Circle in Northern Norway on Midsummer Day and how it really didn't get dark at all - well now it will be the opposite and it really is quite depressing unless, I suppose, one is used to it and has grown up with it.

It is set to warm up a bit over the next few days here in The Dales, so that will make a welcome change.   But pity those in South Yorkshire who are still troubled with flood water and no prospect of it all being over by Christmas.   On that less than cheerful note - I will see you tomorrow.

16 comments:

Lynn Marie said...

Some days are just for lying low and that's just fine. We can't be our most brilliant, energetic selves every minute or we'd burn our selves out.

JayCee said...

I agree. Sometimes a luxuriously lazy day is best.

Bovey Belle said...

Dull grey cold autumn and winter days are no fun are they? Best enjoyed indoors with the heating on Generously Warm and enjoying a good book with the slow cooker bubbling away towards teatime.

I don't think I could live any further North then we do! Imagine daylight never showing itself for 11 weeks in the arctic circle. Hateful.

justjill said...

I do live a bit further North. Sun sets at 3.20. p.m. But then in the Summer it never gets dark.

Sue said...

Those craftsmen/women are so skilled in the Repair Shop. I love to watch them.

Penhill said...

Take it from me you live in the best part of this country ,the view from the bench at the bottom end of town let alone the view on entering the Shawl.As a Midlander who has reluctantly returned enjoy what you have!

the veg artist said...

Glad you're getting the hang of the slow cooker. It's the weather for casseroles!

Joanne Noragon said...

I do not like the run up to Christmas, when we lose another minute a day to darkness.

Red said...

I was in the Arctic for five years. I liked the dark! But then I was in my twenties so anything was possible.

Librarian said...

With all your usual activities, you certainly need a day of rest every now and then, and even more so when it is too cold to be outside much.
It's been only 2C last night, but my friend and I wrapped up warmly and went for a leisurely run around the well-lit streets of our neighbourhood. On Saturday, the forecast is for 11C - this will feel really warm in comparison.

Rachel Phillips said...

I am surprised you say your mother called November and December the dark days before Christmas. I don't recall the word Christmas ever being uttered until at least 21st December. How weird.

Heather said...

I have often found that after a really good night's sleep I feel lazy all day. It's as though the sleep was so deep it takes a day to get over it.
The days are so changeable we have to make the most of a bright one when it comes, and as someone once said 'If winter comes, can spring be far behind?'

John "By Stargoose And Hanglands" said...

I used to hate it when I went to work in the dark in the morning and the sun had set before I came home. It felt as though my whole day had been stolen from me! It's a little better now I'm retired, but not that much!

Gwil W said...

Rachel's reply is interesting. It reminds me that we siblings knew Christmas was on the way when mum disappeared into the kitchen with her big round tin. She always said the cake has to mature for so many weeks. So I'd think it would've been in November. I made sure I got to lick the wooden spoon and when I think now I also used to 'help' place the little ornaments on the cake once it was iced.

Jules said...

Slow cookers are great when you get the hang of them. They are also very handy for keeping mulled wine warm!
Dark days before Christmas is a perfect description of the time of year. X

Elizabeth said...

Hi Pat,so sorry not to have been in touch for ages.
Warmest wishes from New York.