A few weeks ago the snow had thawed and I was happily looking forwards to spring, and then... it started to snow again. "Hurrah!" said Lulu the snow monster, and "Jee!" said my darling daughter who has spent the last five winters in Europe with early spring, but the chicken and I agreed that there is too much of a good thing. Winter is great, but endless winter is just endless. We have already moved the clocks forward to springtime, but apparently no one told the weather that.
Still, I like the quiet early mornings in winter. As the world is covered in snow there is no rush to do anything but drink endless cups of coffee and first read the newspapers and then a good book while the family sleeps. Currently I'm reading "Why Women Grow" by Alice Vincent, and it would be delightful if it weren't for the reoccurring argument I have with Lulu.
"No, I don't want to play." I tell her.
"What-do-you-mean-you-don't-want-to-play??" she naggs me, "It's morning!!"
"I know it's morning, and mornings means quiet times."
"Ooooh, but it's morning... Morning!! Morning!!" she barks. "Look, I have a slipper! I have a ball! I can bring you a banana from the bowl if you want one??"
"I don't want slippers nor balls, and what exactly do you think you are doing on the kitchen table?! Just let me have my coffee."
I let her out and she runs about like a banshee while I softly wake up, but in a matter of minutes she is back asking for attention. In and out she goes, while I intermittently manage to read. In the end I stand with coffee in my hand on the veranda, throwing snowballs at her until I give up and we go feed the chicken.
As we take our many walks between the houses I ponder the gardens. So many bushes and trees have broken and lost branches under the heavy snows, that I really wonder what it will look like when the snow finally clears. I love my little statues in the borders but with this much snow they are barely visible, and I start thinking about garden structures that will give some interest to the landscape in winter. In the daytime I take pictures of areas that could do with improvement so that I will remember it in summer, and in the evenings I make lists of things to do once the spring comes. I make plant lists of climbers for the arches, and look at seed catalogues for vegetables in the kitchen garden. Sometimes my offspring look at me with slightly frowning faces and ask "Mom, what are you thinking about?" as clearly I look worried. "Should we have red kale or palm kale this year?" I answer, knowing full well that they have no idea what an important question this is when there is never enough space in the garden for everything. I feel spring is just around the corner, and I'm so much looking forwards to it!
