10 Things I Love (And Hate) About Winter

Here in Africa, we're smack dab in the middle of winter. I live near the very bottom of Africa, where it's supposed to be rainy during winter and dry during the summer. Not dry all of the time.
Actually, I shouldn't complain, because last year we had a season of much worse drought. There has been more rain (down in Africa...who knows that song?) of late.
I know that a lot of, or most of my blogger friends are currently enjoying summer. Stop rubbing it in my face, okay?
I'm kidding, I'm kidding. I love hearing about your summer adventures and foods and fun, I really do. But I thought I'd chat a bit about what I think the pros and cons of winter are. Maybe it will have you feeling nostalgic for the colder season. Or, if you are living in the colder season currently, perhaps you'll be nodding throughout this post in agreement. Either way, I hope you find it worth your while.
Although I've noted down some pretty great pros alongside the cons...I've gotta be honest, I'm looking forward to summer.

CON 1: Desert lips. It's awful the way my lips dry up and crack and bleed. Sometimes when I wake up I can taste that awful metallic taste of blood, and I know my lips have cracked open again. Ugh. I've been using a lot of lip balm.

PRO 1: Wrapping myself up in a soft blanket. I seriously love soft blankets so much. Recently, my older sister, Perrin, who is living and working in Ireland as a chef (I know, so cool, right? Unless you happen to be Irish. If that's the case, perhaps the idea is not quite so exotic to you as it is to me), mailed a big cardboard box of presents to us. It was like Christmas in July, and each present was so thoughtful and kind. I miss her loads. I miss her more than summer.
Anyway, one of the gifts she sent to me was a beautiful, soft, fluffy blanket all the way from Ireland. I love it.

It's really very very soft. You'd have to touch it to believe me.

CON 2: Not being warm enough. You're probably thinking, put more clothes on. Use more blankets. But I-I-I d-don't th-think you understand.
It's not that cold today, actually, but in June it was bitterly cold. B i t t e r l y. And, as a person who gets cold easily, I wasn't that impressed. I would lie in bed, curled up in a ball with three layers of clothing, a blanket and a duvet covering me and still shiver. I would go to church at nine in the morning and everyone would tell me I hadn't worn enough because underneath all of the layers I was still shaking. Yeah. That bad.

PRO 2: Warm, roaring fires. I love love love to sit in front of a big fire and read, or play cards, or chat with my siblings. Or drink hot chocolate, but that's another pro altogether, don't you think? Especially if it's topped with mini marshmallows. Mmm.

 

CON 3: Comfort food. Why is this a con, you ask? Well, because, when it's so freezing and one of your family members have cooked something hot and so so so good, you kind of forget it's also full full full of calories and you eat it.

PRO 3: Comfort food. Yep, calories, whatever. Forget about that. I mean, come on. Mac n cheese. Brownies. Apple crumble. Shepard's pie. Burgers. I never really stood a chance.

My brother came home with a surprise burger for me the other day. How sweet is he? Or, well, he could be trying to make me fat...

CON 4: Showering. In the summertime I'm keen on doing that. However, when it's four degrees celsius, I don't find myself thinking, I'd love to strip off all my clothes and get wet and almost shiver to death while I'm getting out of the shower and drying off. (We don't have central heating here in Africa. It's just not a thing. I don't know anyone who has central heating) But I do it, because I'm brave. Yeah, you're welcome to laugh at that.

PRO 4: Hoodies. I love putting on a cozy, over sized hoodie with sleeves that are too long for me and just reveling in the comfort that it brings. I also love the actual hoods themselves. I like putting them on when I have no need or reason too. It makes it cozier and gets me feeling a little more Eskimo-ey.

CON 5: Darkness. Because, in the winter, obviously, the sun sets earlier and rises later. I wouldn't say I'm afraid of the dark (although some of my siblings would argue otherwise...perhaps it's my pride denying it) but I love light.

PRO 5: Sleep. I sleep much longer and more peacefully in the winter. Apparently it's proven that you sleep better in the cold, which is interesting. In the summertime, I rise early, I can't help it, it's like my body is programmed to. But in the wintertime, I manage to sleep in late. My record is 9:30am, which, I've heard, is not a very high record. Never mind. It's my record.
What's your record?

Let me know if you can relate to my thoughts on winter, and if you're enjoying the season is hanging out your place, whether it's cold or hot. Do you prefer winter or summer?
Hopefully I didn't come across as too much of a complainer, but again, I'm just hanging in here till summer.