WINTER’S NOT FOREVER

I stepped out of Waitrose and suddenly felt a sort of familiar old happiness.

A loaf of bread swung pleasantly from one hand; a carton of orange juice, cradled by the other. I walked to the car, almost whistling, almost with a skip, wondering what was suddenly different. I was slowly twigging of course, that, after months of forgetting how to do it - the sun was actually shining - and it felt vaguely warm.

I like this day of the year. It’s not the last day of winter; I feel sure we’ll get a few more icy days of frozen rain yet. Neither is it the first day of Spring! It is though, a very nice reminder of the season to come, unexpectedly beaming through the bright blue sky.

I felt the warmth on my skin. I don’t get enough vitamin D, sure, so it’s quite likely that my whole body has been deeply craving that gentle caress of sunlight. Last year, I was in Israel - where the February sun was strange and hot; this year I’ve cracked through the British winter with dry, cracked skin. But now, maybe now, there’s a little hope of something bright around the corner!

Soon the flowers will burst, the birds shall return, and the skies will fill with song! Soon the windows will be down, and tanned arms will catch the breeze under cotton white shirts again. There’ll be the flash of glare from sunglasses and sun on metallic bonnet, oh and the delicious pink and white cherry blossom, tumbling like warm snow from the trees.

I drove home. What do you call this day? It’s not sunroof day - that was always later, and anyway, cars don’t really have sunroofs anymore - well not the wind-down kind anyway. It’s still too cold for windows-down. It is hopeful though. 

Perhaps I shall call it Vitamin D Day - the ‘vita’ the stuff of life, starts flowing back to your skin, the milky sun just close enough to part the clouds and softly kiss you, ready to tell you that somehow, everything will be alright.

Winter’s not forever after all.