As the days grow darker and the icy wind wraps itself around my bones, my body has had a strange and disturbing reaction. One of familiarity. Not a welcoming feeling, but a feeling that things are back to normality. That this brief time when I could walk around without a jersey was merely an anomaly. And it sure was brief, bloody hell.
This unsettles me big time. I don't think I am adapting to the cold or anything because I still need to say the words "frik it is freezing" every time my brain realises it is freezing, ie. once per minute <== goldfish syndrome. People still stare at me in disbelief when they see how cold I am.
But my body is starting to see it as normal. Normal to be shivering and cold and tired and sad all the time? Oh boy.
I should try to see this as a positive thing. Maybe with time I will grow to love winter, and maybe if I ever leave here I will actually miss winter, miss the initial burst of energy the drop in temperature brings before it all seeps out and hibernation hits. So I should appreciate the icyness and make the most of it now.
Or some such psychobabble crap.
Bring out yer dead coats, fellow Northern Hemispherers, for the the time to battle the elements has begun once again. Who shalt win this annum?
15 comments:
Hello Poster Child for not moving to the UK! We just entered Spring in good ol SA and its deliciously warm. Dont get brainwashed! Getting used to being cold is not normal - fight the urge!
Just remember...
Wearing too many coats makes you look like the stay puft marshmallow man and the ghostbusters might hurt you.
That's a legitimate concern.
...I've come to talk with you again. FOr a vision softly creeping...la da deeeee.
Po, I feel for you I really do...but the more winter you have the more summer we have...it just works that way. Unless you move to Mombassa where it's summer all the time.
Winter is NOT my friend. I makes me depressed and turn into a hermit. check out my post on winter : http://gillianhefer.blogspot.com/2009/06/are-you-with-me-on-this-one-winter.html
Believe me when I say it gets way way colder here in Sweden! But we do have lovely warm houses that just don't exist in Britain... so, bizarrely enough, I'm warmer here than there... Bonkers- isn't it?
I've learnt to embrace the beauty of winter ... most of the time... It's much harder to cope with the darkness though.
momcat: yes, if you suffer from the cold I would not recommend the UK, if however, like the rest of my family you actually prefer being cold to being hot, well then you will love it here like they do. Crazy nutters :)
Goblin: I walk around every day looking like the Michelin man. I am known as the Michelin man. I have this puffy jacket that turns me into... the Michelin man.
Ches: strange you say that, the BFG was talking about moving to India, bring on eternal summer!
Gillian: sadly it does that to me too. But this year maybe I will be forewarned and try to combat the issue somehow. Not sure how, ususally I just sleep and eat until it is over, but this does not seem to work.
Ladyfi: haha you don't need to convince me of that! Yak people is what you are!
I do actually enjoy that cool freshness of autumn, I think English autumn is like Durban winter. But then it just gets worse!
Poor Po. I would not survive. I get flippin miserable in the SA winter. The English one would just do me in for sure.
"In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone..."
Now you've got me going.
Simon and Garfunkel are my ultimate!
Tamara: I loooove that song! And I love their lyrics! ALthough I did think the words were "I turned my collar to the cold and damned" which is a little dramatic, but I liked that version!
I'm sorry, but maybe you'll get used to it/ And maybe the long hours of darkness will help you to sleep really soundly?
At least you can have lots of soup! I LOVE soup! And it's too hot ehre to have it at the moment...
Helen: selling point of the UK: every day is a soup day :)
Po, I would not make it in the UK. Cape Town winters are bad enough as it is. At least our summers are awesome to make up for it.
I agree, I don't think I would handle the UK very well, considering how miserable Cape Town winter makes me... Living in a place of eternal summer sounds like a fabulous idea!
I can't relate sadly... it's just WAY too hot here. Maybe you should take a short holiday and visit?
You know what, I actually agree with you on that my body is starting to see the cold as "normal".#
It is "normal" to have to wear a jacket all the time. It is "normal" to have a scarf with you all the time. It is "normal" to shiver all the time. :)
Dora: you are adapting quickly! It is my 6th year here and the "normal" feeling is only kicking in now!
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