November

People around me keep complaining about the weather. Dark, gloomy, rainy, cold, dark. Yes, dark twice since that is what gets people the most it seems.
Apparently November has the worst weather of the year. Apparently the fact that it's dark when you wake up and dark when you go home from work causes you to become this whining creature who can't stop obsessing about the weather.

I don't mind November.

Sure constant rain is a bit impractical and there might be things you put off doing because of it, but I don't mind November weather. It gives me a perfect excuse to stay inside and cuddle up on the sofa with a cup of tea and watch tv.
I can't even say that I feel more tired now when it gets dark sooner. A big plus about it getting dark is that I get to admire my reflection in any window without having to go find a mirror! Hee! And I do like my reflection. Just a little while go I answered an online survey about my body image as a woman. One of the questions was about the likelihood of me getting cosmetic surgery if I didn't have to worry about the financial bits. I answered Not likely. The problems I have with my body have nothing to do with how it looks. Aches and pains and things like that have more to do with actual function than perception.

Another thing about November is that it seems that it goes by really quickly. At least to me this year. First half already behind us and the rest is just a short pit stop before the holiday season kicks in.

Speaking of holiday season; I will have to start figuring out what to get the families for Christmas. Only 36 days to go.

keah

Longing for a winter that never happened

This winter has been a huge disappointment. I knew that moving south would mean that we wouldn't get to see as much snow as we're used to from home, but last winter was ok and the timing with snow was wonderful for when Kat and Sarah came to visit. We've had some snow this year too, but it hasn't stayed long at all and it's mostly been rain falling from the sky.

Winter here is wet, dark and seems to be going on forever. I have now stopped hoping for snow, though you never know what April brings, anything can happen still. Another aspect to the tedium of this season may well be the poor state of my health. I've been blessed with a cold four times in the past six months. I don't know if I should start worrying that there might be something fundamentally wrong that my body is trying to draw my attention towards... My mother claims, with the conviction of someone who will never move away from the small town where she was born, that it's the big city air that's maknig me ill. Or the pollution rather, of course. In my bluest moments I'm even prepared to admit she has a point...
I believe there are several factors contributing to the situation. The warm winter being one of them. Another factor may well be that work is feeling really boring more often that not. I really liked it to begin with. I felt that I was learning lots of new things and skills, but somewhere around November-December I realised that this position doesn't really contain much more than that, and when I have that down there won't be very much else allowing me to evolve. I can get into a big whinge about this from time to time and that leaves me feeling ungrateful for having a job at all. I have started applying for other jobs though. Sooner or later I'll be out of here. I've only been promised work until the end of June at this point, with a possible extension for the rest of the year, but I'm rather hoping I'll have found something better (and preferably closer to home) before summer.

I try to end all my posts on a positive note, so I saved the plans for the immediate future for last:
In just a few days we're going up north to see the families for Easter. I miss my parents and I'm looking forward to seeing D's side of the family as well. But the most important part of this trip is to enjoy the fantastic season of spring-winter that we only get in the north of Sweden. It's when there's still snow and cold nights to prevent it from melting, but it warms up during the day and the sun is warm and the weather just amazing! Long walks through snow-clad forests and on the ice of the Bothnian Bay are one of the things we'll occupy ourselves with this coming week. I can hardly wait!

Happy Easter, dear friends!

keah