Lately, I realised that I haven’t written a nature-related post for a long time. I’m going to blame this on pregnancy, rain, and less time with my husband at weekends . . . Firstly, late pregnancy does not mix well with hills, beach-walking or any kind of rough terrain. I was doing really well, up until I reached around 32 weeks, then I experienced two bad colds, began to feel nauseous all over again and lost a bit of my fitness.
That’s not to say, I haven’t been walking at all. At weekends, I can be found, pounding the floors of supermarkets and clothing stores, only stopping to fuel up on hot chocolate and cake. You see, when you’re expecting a baby – there’s so much to buy! It’s taken me until now, to get on top of the hospital list! Rather terrifyingly, it only just dawned on me that this baby is going to need clothes, bedding, nappies etc, beyond the hospital. This baby is going to make a mess of my small, freshly washed stock of items and I’m most probably, completely underprepared. Ah, well, it’s another trip to Argos this weekend!
As for rain, well, cold and frost may be the order of the day this week, but October and November have generally been very soggy, grey months, that haven’t encouraged me to embrace nature, as much as I would have liked. On top of that, my favourite strolling partner and all round favourite person, known to this blog as ‘Hubs’ does not have as much free time to spend with me. He started a new job, back in the summer and has had to work nearly every Saturday morning since, (on top of long hours during the week).
But after all these excuses, I’m happy to find myself at ‘December’s Edge’, and it’s starting to feel a tiny bit magical. Not just because my baby is due, not just because Christmas is coming, but because that keen chill is in the air. Frosty mornings are back in business, with their thrilling cold, and strange, enchanting solitude. A dusting of white and sparkle makes the heart leap, doesn’t it? Just look at everyone’s obsession with the film, ‘Frozen’.
It may be time to turn to my collection of wintry poems and choose one to mark the start of December. Check back next week for a true taste of the season . . .
Photo credit: amesis / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND