January can feel like such a long, drawn out month. A general low after the buzz of the festive season. The magic gone, back to reality, back to work, cold, dark mornings, with only the faintest hint of the days becoming longer and the warmer months to come.
With this in mind I have been taking extra care to keep the house cosy, feed the family wholesome, nutritious meals and maintain a sense of wellbeing.
More than usual, I have been looking closely at what we are eating. Cooking/baking from scratch as much as possible. I made some bread yesterday, something I haven't done for a while now. It was such an easy recipe and tastes delicious. I think I will be making a lot more of my own in future.
I also made time to complete the socks I am ashamed to say I started knitting way back in November! I will have to be careful with washing, as they are 100% wool, but they are oh-so-cosy. The perfect answer to the cold wintery evenings.
With it being soooo long since I last posted, I feel I must just briefly mention Christmas. We had a lovely quiet time, just as we like it, and I will have a lasting memory of Lily hurtling down the hallway on her new scooter brandishing an umbrella with a huge smile on her face. A happy day.
Since Christmas we have enjoyed some truly beautiful walks in our local area. For the most part, days have been cold and bright, with the occasional frost and even a sprinkling of snow.
New Year's morning found us on Orrest Head, in glorious sunshine but a bitterly cold wind. While the following day a walk up Dodd fell proved very popular with the addition of some snow and a welcome drink of hot Winterspice cordial at the summit. The views weren't too bad either.
Unfortunately, the start of the year also brought with it some personal sadness for our family and resulted in me having been unwell for much of the month. Blessings well and truly counted I am now looking forward to what the rest of the year holds for us, and hopefully, I say with such optimism, some more consistent blogging.
J. X
