Anyone else already hating the wet, dark cold nights

Thinking about it I d probably enjoy winter a lot more if I had a kind, caring, loving husband, a nice warm house and plenty of spare cash I could manage the rest 😂😂😂

Perfect Monica but what if you open the door and warmth doesn’t engulf you !!! What if you have kids in a high rise flat with a paraffin heater or you’re squatting or even living on a fairly reasonable wage but you have damp and mould in your house What if you’re in a tent !!
It’s ideal and acceptable if you’re a ‘have it’ family but not for many many others who live depressing lives in winter

I’m just thankful we no longer have to get up in the dark and set off to work every day, and can usually choose whether we venture out or not.
This is how I feel. When I was working I often got the bus at 7.00, which meant that ice hadn’t melted and nobody had walked on it to churn it up a bit. The walk from my house to the station could be treacherous, and I couldn’t easily take it at my own pace if I wanted to catch the bus. I hated it, particularly as I got older and my knees complained more. One of the best things about retirement is not having to set the alarm, and only going out when you want to.

I don't like the bare trees and shrubs and get a real lift when new buds appear and spring bulbs poke their shoots through the bare earth.

Last night we visited a local large manor house. They have lit up their grounds with all kinds of lighting. Most of the grounds are trees and woodland and this is what was lit and it was absolutely fabulous walking through the gently moving trees watching the play of light on the leaves and branches. Nearer the house they did have some areas lit with dramatic affects of sheets of light across the grass, but it was thelight on the trees that brought me joy.

On the way home, of a whim, we nipped into Waitrose and bought some pizza. It was a cold dark night, with a hint of drizzle, but we opened the front door and the warmth engulfed us.

The perfect entertainement for a winter evening.

Maggiemaybe Gosh I m going to sound a right misery here but Halloween (here anyway because of the storms) was a bit of a non event, everywhere putting on firework shows have now cancelled them through the rain and high winds
It’s just not fun listening to whistling winds when your house is a cold one and the darkness is depressing but hey ho only 6 months to go
I m not a misery and do make the best of it but I get slightly pipped off when the winter lovers moan and groan at one week of summer and rejoice in darkness and cold wind and rain

But I do agree with you about the picture poor servants going to be wet to the bone 😀

I rather like dark and wet. As long as I’ve been out for a walk (in any weather except torrential rain or a blizzard) I like being able to read/knit/cook something unnecessary and indulgent without feeling that I ought to be doing something healthy and virtuous out of doors.

I do enjoy all the seasons though - partial exception for January and February until the spring flowers start coming out - but here there are often nice days then too. A sister visiting from NE coast US in very early January was once amazed to see flowers out - she actually took photos to send to friends at home - and the fact that we were sitting in the sun outside a pub with a 🍷.

Joseann

Being optimistic .. Life's not about waiting for the storm to pass…It's about learning to dance in the rain.

You’re not wrong, Joseann. But I always feel sorry for the servants in that picture! No doubt they’ll have to dash in and run hot baths for Sir and Madam, and get all their dry clothes laid out, before they get a chance to sort themselves out.

Am I overthinking it?

fancythat

Some people used to go abroad for 3 months during winter time.
I dont hear as much about that now.
And of course many couldnt do that.

Yes, my parents used to do it, back in the late 1980s/early 1990s. Off to Spain or Malta and staying in hotels for two or three months. They certainly weren’t well off and used to say it was so cheap they saved money by doing it.

It must be truly awful at this time of year if you haven’t got a warm home and people around you. But I enjoy the run up to Christmas at least with plenty to do, Halloween, Bonfire Night, Light Nights, Christmas markets, etc, as well as settling down to more crafting, reading and the TV. Travelling anywhere can be a pain though, and I hate being on the roads in icy conditions or with rain lashing down. I’m just thankful we no longer have to get up in the dark and set off to work every day, and can usually choose whether we venture out or not.

Being optimistic .. Life's not about waiting for the storm to pass…It's about learning to dance in the rain.

alice 🤣🤣🤣
I think it’s the longness of winter I dislike if it was as short as our summer I d probably learn to enjoy it It just seems never ending and then a tiny taste of warmth and then back to the grey times Some people genuinely suffer SAD and some just suffer from their surroundings
I have to go out in a minute to wait for a bus to attend my appointment to get my jabs … it’s a dark morning, lashing down in rain and high wind ..what a pleasure 😢

Oh, you’re so right, RosiesMaw - and you lead by example / your posts are always, always so very positive.

I’m trying to be more positive about winter, because, after all there is a lot of it.
But although I agree with the drawing of curtains, lighting of fires and candles, and generally getting cosy is lovely, I still hate the dark nights.
I actually change my working hours when the clocks change.
Yesterday, trying to find a route to work that wasn’t flooded. Then spending an hour and a half doing a 30 minute journey, i long for better weather.

fancythat

👏

Some people used to go abroad for 3 months during winter time.
I dont hear as much about that now.
And of course many couldnt do that.

I always get the impression RM sometimes just says things for a reaction.
Or even for attention.
I ignore.

Some rather nasty comments.

The OP put her post under ‘Chat’, and that’s what we’re supposedly doing, chatting about our opinions of what she wrote, some agree, some don’t, but no need for unpleasantness.

RosiesMaw

Oh for goodness sake OP!
I know the British have a reputation for talking about the weather and worse, moaning.
Nights , by definition unless you live in the Arctic Circle in summer, tend to be dark.
It’s not cold yet and while there been a couple of storms, as somebody once said “You ain’t seen nothing yet”
Too cold, too wet, too hot- global warming? Doom and gloom.
Can’t you find a more positive way of looking at life?

Gosh Maw that’s a bit harsh, not everyone feels the same as you, others have good reason to dislike this time of year, loneliness, hardship even depression exacerbated by the darker days.
If you haven’t got anything nice to say, say nothing.

karmalady

There is no point in hating anything, especially the weather, which is always interesting. Key is to adapt, like hedgehogs do, slow down, withdraw into a cosy nest. It is a different season that is all, embrace it

Thats exactly it. The cold and damp outside makes us stay home and enjoy activities we wouldn't normally do. Every cloud .......... etc.

Unless you have an energetic dog like me, which makes you go out in all weathers, thus also meaning you don't hibernate and never see anyone.

Actually, thinking about it, I just love the changing weather which ever way it is changing. There are things to be enjoyed in all seasons.

I take your point, Bluebelle, but we can't alter the changing of the seasons.

But we don’t all have a cosy nest Karmalady that’s the point isn’t it ? people live in tents, in doorways, older people can’t afford to put the heating on, people can’t always afford hot soup bubbling or the stove or warm clothing. It can be a dark and depressing time for many
I m sure if we all lived in cosy warm houses with a loving family around, it wouldn’t seem so bad but for many it’s a never ending (long) and depressing time
Summer or hot weather lasts about two weeks if we re lucky !

There is no point in hating anything, especially the weather, which is always interesting. Key is to adapt, like hedgehogs do, slow down, withdraw into a cosy nest. It is a different season that is all, embrace it

I like the evenings with the curtains closed but I struggle a bit with days where the sky is just unrelievedly, blankly grey.

I hate the long, dark evenings too. I make sure I get outside everyday for a walk during daylight hours. I keep up my exercise routine and try to eat a rainbow everyday.

I'm decluttering cupboards, giving stuff to charity and just sorting things out. Having a calm, ordered home is important to me. I am also crocheting charity baby blankets which is tackling my wool mountain and also makes me feel better.

I'm making plans for Christmas and for 2024.