It was cold here yesterday. Well, let me qualify that - it was cold for here. The highest temp was 19C (66F), and while I worked away at the Centre, I kept looking at the fireplace and imaging how warm and cosy it would be if it was blazing away with red hot logs. I have no idea how to make a fire in one of those stoves, or even if the fireplace there is safe, so I didn't advance beyond my warm and toasty fantasy. It's still fairly cold now at 17 C. I have my slippers on, a skirt, two jumpers and a vest. Now that I'm 'an older woman', I don't cope very well with extremes of temperature. And yes, I know 17C (62F) is not an extreme, but that probably proves my point.
I love change. I'm not at my best when things stay the same so when the temperature starts to cool down, and I see and feel the changes that brings, it soothes my black heart. There is a lot to be said for seasonal change.
One of the things I most enjoy about the different seasons and the changes they bring is the opportunity to extend hospitality according to the temperature. Nothings warms the spirit more than being offered a hot cup of tea or coffee with scones that send up puffs of steam when you open them. How good is it to come home to hot homemade soup sitting on the stove and just baked bread that lifts the neighbourhood just with the smell of it.
The same is true in the hot and humid months of summer. A glass of homemade lemon cordial, with rivers of condensation flowing down the glass and ice cubes happily clinking, makes any hot day a fine one. Greeting visitors with the hospitality of a cold drink is one of life's simple pleasures that I doubt I'll ever tire of.
But now we're in Autumn and with each day it gets a little bit colder. Warm quilts and flannel sheets are on the beds and the frequent salads of summer have given way to steamy bowls of soup, warm rice pudding and cooked spicy fruit - warm and delicious straight from the stove.
I love change. I'm not at my best when things stay the same so when the temperature starts to cool down, and I see and feel the changes that brings, it soothes my black heart. There is a lot to be said for seasonal change.
One of the things I most enjoy about the different seasons and the changes they bring is the opportunity to extend hospitality according to the temperature. Nothings warms the spirit more than being offered a hot cup of tea or coffee with scones that send up puffs of steam when you open them. How good is it to come home to hot homemade soup sitting on the stove and just baked bread that lifts the neighbourhood just with the smell of it.
The same is true in the hot and humid months of summer. A glass of homemade lemon cordial, with rivers of condensation flowing down the glass and ice cubes happily clinking, makes any hot day a fine one. Greeting visitors with the hospitality of a cold drink is one of life's simple pleasures that I doubt I'll ever tire of.
But now we're in Autumn and with each day it gets a little bit colder. Warm quilts and flannel sheets are on the beds and the frequent salads of summer have given way to steamy bowls of soup, warm rice pudding and cooked spicy fruit - warm and delicious straight from the stove.
I haven't told you all yet what Hanno gave me for my birthday. It was a smallish quilt to be used when I'm sitting in the lounge room. One side is pure cotton tiny pink rosebuds on a very pale creamy yellow background, other side is pale creamy yellow fleece. I've used it a few times in the past week and unlike a completely cotton quilt, the fleece feels warm as soon as I cover myself with it. I feel like an old granny with it wrapped around my legs and when I draw it up around my chest, I swear I could melt for the way it warms me.
Simple pleasures come in all shapes and sizes, they usually cost little more than the effort it takes to make them happen and yet they are what memories are made of. I have wonderful memories of my sister and I sitting in front of a warm winter's fire in our flannel pyjamas while our mum tested our spelling. I remember fondly feeling very grown up and with it sitting at a table of adults when I was about 18 and being offered a glass of icy water along with the rest of the group. That water tasted like the finest wine to me.
There is a lot to be said about seasonal hospitality and our own ability to make our daily lives more comfortable with simple things. I know that I will live happily with my rosebud quilt for the rest of my life. If I'm lucky enough I'll lay my grandbabies on it one day and as they grow they'll learn, by example, about the value of these simple gestures.
You can bring anything to life by assigning meaning to it. What are the meaningful parts of your seasons? What makes you enjoy one season over all others? What are the things you're doing now that you know will be the memories of a lifetime?
Simple pleasures come in all shapes and sizes, they usually cost little more than the effort it takes to make them happen and yet they are what memories are made of. I have wonderful memories of my sister and I sitting in front of a warm winter's fire in our flannel pyjamas while our mum tested our spelling. I remember fondly feeling very grown up and with it sitting at a table of adults when I was about 18 and being offered a glass of icy water along with the rest of the group. That water tasted like the finest wine to me.
There is a lot to be said about seasonal hospitality and our own ability to make our daily lives more comfortable with simple things. I know that I will live happily with my rosebud quilt for the rest of my life. If I'm lucky enough I'll lay my grandbabies on it one day and as they grow they'll learn, by example, about the value of these simple gestures.
You can bring anything to life by assigning meaning to it. What are the meaningful parts of your seasons? What makes you enjoy one season over all others? What are the things you're doing now that you know will be the memories of a lifetime?
