Now Is The Winter...

February's a funny month isn't it. Not funny 'ha ha', clasp wobbly tummy and throw head back in guffawing motion. Funny like suddenly finding cheese bubbling in the fridge with a sell-by date of 02 Jan 1993, funny of the eye-bulging variety.

We have spring; which is basically a period of waiting for summer to arrive as we listen to the gale force winds lashing the rain/snow/hail/wildlife against our windows.

We have summer; bit of sun, bit of stoic shivering next to barbecues, bit of strappy-top wearing over thermal underwear.

We have autumn, pretty colours on trees, pretty horrific contortions/fractures on pavements strewn with rotting leaves, bit of a chilly breeze punctuating the perpetual downpours.

Then winter arrives. Only we don't really notice it because we're distracted by Halloween and then Bonfire Night. As we recover from being kept awake by exploding fireworks every night for three months, we're oblivious to the sudden drop in temperature because we're too busy worrying about Christmas.

Christmas is all about forcing the masses to forget about the Godawful weather. Argh, Christmas is coming, must buy, buy more! Yeah its cold, yeah its grey and miserable, but look at all the shiny, sparkly things in shop windows.

Then the festive celebrations are upon you, lots of drinkypoos, lots of forbidden grub, lots of visiting and entertaining, lots of swigging from bottles of sherry (though not in full view of the police car following you down the A38, obviously).

Suddenly Crimbo's over and you've forced all the shiny stuff in the loft to rot for 12 months, and you happen to glance out the window and think Would you look at that WEATHER out there!

And there's nothing to distract you. It hits you like a sledge hammer. WINTER!

Bugger!

You feel like a rechargeable battery that hasn't been recharged, a deflated balloon, a baggy carcass of lethargy. But mostly you just feel cold (only you're too afraid to put the heating on because power companies are robbing you blind, the gits).

And you find yourself waiting for Spring again, that period when you wait for Summer, which never seems to arrive. In fact, I'm still waiting for Spring 2008 to make an appearance - it clearly couldn't muster up the energy to turn up and is probably now languishing permanently on some Caribbean beach.

It's a bit depressing isn't it, winter. Too cold to do anything. Too wet, too grey. A day now consists of about six and a half hours of limp, opaque sunlight, and nights last for about a day and a half. The hibernation gene kicks in, and the only thing you have to look forward to is a good snowstorm to trap you in the house so you don't have to go to work (although this wouldn't benefit me, being a homeworker and all).

I'm sure good weather will arrive eventually. Pretty sure it will. But probably best to keep an eye out for it, just in case, God forbid, we should miss it.

Stay warm, people!

Brummie Broad; Here every Tuesday, unless hypothermia sets in.
Brummie Blogs: 'Chilling' out there rest of time.