Winter's here as evidenced in the house and down in the barn. Waterproofs are hanging everywhere, dripping puddles on the floor, rubber boots line the garage and warm coats fleeces hats and gloves are retrieved from the depths of the "winter drawer". I want to know how a pair of gloves or warm woolly socks, carefully put away in the spring turns into a single sock or glove when you need it most !! How come every pair of gloves has a finger missing and every pair of socks develops a hole ? As dawn breaks I peer out the window into the early morning gloom...rain ? frost ?....worse, snow ? How many layers of clothes, how many pairs of socks will fit in my boots ? I start off a size 10 and finish a 20+....and its only November ! Down at the barn, the sweet smell of hay and the not so sweet smell of manure mingles with the smell of wet / drying horse blankets and wet animals. I can almost guarantee that if I stand still for an unguarded moment, I will be dripped on through a hole in a rusty gutter that is older than me. The livestock lay quietly in their warm dry pens, no one pushes or calls out to be sent out into the rain. The chickens line up on their roosts, feathers fluffed up waiting their spot in the nest box, loudly complaining at the sound of the rain drops heavy on the metal roof. In the barn kitchen the smell of woodsmoke from the stove mingles with that of freshly brewed coffee and wet dog. Yes, it's winter again with all its challenges and frustrations ...but spring is only around the corner and before that we have Christmas, brightly colored lights, steaming mulled Wine and spicy English mince pies, it's not so bad...is it ???? ask me again in February !!! Bed time, I'll go to sleep and dream of warm sunny dry days or maybe why the washing machine ate my favourite warm sweater ?. Take care, M
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