I really need a winter.
Today the sky is brilliantly blue, smudged with clouds that look like they've been painted on. The bare trees are lit by low sunlight and some of their gnarly branches are dotted with buds. It's as though Autumn is gently giving way to Spring, with no thought to their missing neighbour.
What we need is a good old cold snap, a frost-fall or a blizzard.
I'd like to go tobogganing or trudging through the crispy banks of ice-white snow. I'd like to rub my hands together in my fingerless gloves and feel my ears being pinched by the freezing wind. I'd like to wrap my scarf tightly around me, to fold in my coat, or stuff an extra pair of thick socks into my wellies.
I'd like to get home to the smell of hot soup and buttered toast. I'd like to see the smoke spiral up from an open fire or the steam condensing on my lenses.
Actually, that last one's annoying. Perhaps not that.
I just overheard the students chatting in the kitchen. One of them was annoyed because he wasn't feeling very well and he's got 'like five birthday parties to go to in the next week...'
You know those moments when you're suddenly aware of how old you are? I had a little smile to myself. My face creased into laughter lines.
Maybe, I reflected, I've already seen quite a few winters.
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