I woke this morning to graphite skies and rain. Again. Really? We have just passed the solstice, but summer still hasn’t arrived. It flirted with us for a while, made us all happy and confident of long, warm days ahead and then disappeared. My garden is drooping under the weight of all that water. A week ago, my roses were full and resplendent. Now they look like washing that you have forgotten to take in when the weather turns. The weeds, needless to say, are thriving. Today, I have nothing special planned except a Citizens’ Advice meeting in the afternoon. I could feel my spirits, like the rain-beaten roses, droop.
Also, I had a post to write. Writing, indeed, pretty much anything, is difficult to do when you are feeling low and frustrated. So I took my self-pity in hand and started to think of ways to cheer myself up. What if I took my own advice and tried to see the good in this chilly, damp day? My great nephew, who lives in Newcastle, had just made a hilarious spoof video of a weather forecast (rain) and turned his lemons into a lemon grove. Perhaps I could do the same.
A little pampering
My first step was to do something lovely for myself. I would make a delicious coffee, barista style, with frothy milk and a sprinkling of chocolate on top. Today may not be the day to go out to a cafe, but I could bring at least part of that experience inside.
A good quality coffee; a mug that makes you smile; a little extra care in the making results in the beginning of a good mood. The caffeine would help too.
If you can’t stand the rain, get into the kitchen
Few things are more comforting than food. Pottering about in the kitchen, watching the magical chemistry that is cooking, always cheers me up. Getting to eat the results is a bonus. So, I’ve dug out the recipe book I made for the kids and decided to make some muffins.
True to the lazy cow ethos, they won’t take long, but they will taste good. I can also take some to the friend I am visiting. It’s due to rain that day also.
‘And rain will make the flowers grow’
The irony is that I’d been anxious for rain. We’d had a long dry spell and the garden really needed watering. Suffice to say, it has now been thoroughly soaked.
Rainy days are excellent craft days, however. If the sun is shining, I’ll be outside from morning till night. Sometimes, I secretly hope for rotten weather to give me the excuse to get inside to get creative. Yesterday was craft club and I was too tired to do much, but I’d hauled out my paper craft books and thought I would do something simple, while I chatted. Recently, I’ve become rather fixated on paper flowers and having found some rather sweet roses, I thought I’d try those. The results were surprisingly realistic.
It turns out that making paper flowers is somewhat addictive, so I made some crazy, imaginary flowers too. I suspect there may be a few more by this evening.
Enjoying the company of a good book
When the natural light is poor or fatigue is draining your energy, there are few better ways of passing the time than listening to an audio book. You can curl up on the sofa, hot drink to hand and simply allow someone to tell you a story. My library (and I’m sure yours too) has come rushing into the 21st century and offers an amazing online service. Included in this is an extensive audio book range and the cost is absolutely nothing. Currently, I am listening to Ali Smith’s Summer, the final book in her seasonal quartet. It’s challenging, brilliant and engaging all at once. My meeting over this afternoon, it will be my companion until dinner.
And now my blog is finished; my coffee too. My muffins are waiting to be made and I have a plan for the day. This rainy day isn’t turning out so badly after all.