I am a winter baby, so I often think that is probably why I am reasonably comfortable in the cold weather. But more, I love that the seasons change, that we have that season where everything has a rest and reset before the great reawakening of spring. So, I don’t have a negative outlook on cold weather.
I love to be cosy. My idea of heaven is being in a warm house, surrounded by loved ones, with all utilities working, the cupboards full of nice food and drink, some good books on the go, quality time with those loved ones, and just watching inclement weather. If there has been a forecast of snow, I like to make sure we are stocked up (not to the end of the world scenario levels, I don’t hoard tins or rolls of toilet paper), so we can shut the door and just enjoy some time out. It doesn’t often snow here in the UK to the extent we have to do that. In fact the last time it happened to the degree it was a significant inconvenience was about 6 or 7 years ago, before Covid. We are more likely to get heavy storms, though again we haven’t had a really disruptive one (thankfully) in the area I live for some time. Probably 3 or 4 years. That doesn’t mean, though, that it hasn’t been cold or windy here in that time, and I do like to take full advantage of when it is. By declaring a time out and settling in together. That sense of being cosy is something I love.
That’s not to say it is always possible to do that. I have at times been caught out by poor weather, and had to make my way home from somewhere. One time, the trains were cancelled so that was tricky. I was just lucky enough to notice the last train they were going to try to get as close to where I live as possible before it hit the weather, and I was able to get on it and call my husband to collect me from where it was stopping. Even in those instances, if I am dressed appropriately for the weather I don’t mind it. It is just one of those things, and I would frankly rather live in a country that experiences the differences in the seasons than one that doesn’t. I love to see the trees change colour at the end of summer, as much as I love to see them burst back into life during spring. Nothing gives me greater pleasure than seeing the first buds emerge on my favourite tree in our garden, just as much as I love looking at its leaves turn golden and cover the ground in the autumn. The tree records the passage of time, and I often stand beneath it and connect with it. It is old and it is mighty, it will likely live long beyond me, but I like to think that in my blip of time on this planet, I have left my mark on it through that connection.
As with most things in nature, the cold is something to never take lightly. Yes, it can look beautiful on a frosty morning or a snow-covered scene, but it can be treacherous if not respected. The cold weather proves to us that we do not have dominion over nature, and that we can suffer if we think we do. If we do not take its warning seriously. For example, we can badly injure ourselves if we don’t take a frosty morning as anything other than a pretty sight because that ice is dangerous. My mother broke her wrist quite severely because of a beautiful frosty morning and the fact she did not want to wait for the bus. She didn’t want to be late for work, so walked to the station in her heels, slipped on ice and ended up not being in work for six weeks. I remember one Sunday a few years ago when, while the grit had been laid down the night before, it had rained early in the morning and washed the grit away. Then the temperatures plummeted, the rainwater froze and snow fell on top all before 9am, when most people hadn’t realised it had even rained. There were many accidents on the roads, cars stuck attempting to get up hills, and people injured because they hadn’t thought to wear appropriate shoes when they went out for their snowball fight.
I love the cold weather, I love being cosy inside and watching it be cold outside, I love being properly clothed and out in it, and I love the fact that we have clearly defined seasons in the UK so I can know the difference between cold and warm weather. More than anything, though, I respect it. And put another log on the fire before going out in it!
Louisa Simpson 