Surviving February

It is still Winter and there is absolutely no rush to do anything

OK we did it – we got through January and we are now past Imbolc and into the final part of Winter which will eventually give way to Spring.

Something I have noticed over the past few years is that Spring seems to have got later and shorter. Miserable, cold, wet weather now lasts well into March and April and everything seems to be grey, damp and dark.

As I said last month I leaned strongly into Wintering this January and I’m not quite ready to shake that off yet. I still feel the need for safety, comfort and warmth which is hardly surprising given the horrific state of the world we are currently living in.

Wintering: The power of rest and retreat in difficult times (Katherine May)

Last week my husband and I went to see Ballet Shoes at the National Theatre. This is one of my absolute favourite books from childhood (I always wanted to be Pauline) and this new stage production written by Kendall Feaver and directed by Katy Rudd is quite wonderful.

My much loved and much read copy of Ballet Shoes!

Some parts are closer to the recent film (with Victoria Wood and Emma Watson) than the book but it maintains the integrity and the magic of the story beautifully. There are some lovely touches that would be obvious to those who the book well which are just there and don’t need explaining – for example when Pauline goes to the Alice in Wonderland audition, she’s wearing a black velvet dress.

OK, so it’s not January any more but February is still Winter, not Spring and maybe we need a little help to get through the dark days.

Here are some of the things I am using to help me get through February.

1: Lights

I love fairy lights; I keep some up all year round and they make me smile.

I also like little trinkets and when I was putting all my Christmas crockery away, I found this pretty little glass jar (above) which I think I inherited from my much-missed mum-in-law. It’s not air tight and quite small but I had the idea of putting some fairy lights in it (the small battery operated string that came with my Bloom and Wild Tiny Tree). This now sits on the shelf by where I work and it makes me smile.

Candles. I love candles and have them burning as often as I can. Often scented but also some unscented fat pillar candles.

2: Music

Sometime last year I found a copy of Clemency Burton-Hill’s book Year of Wonder which is a delightful treasure trove of pieces of classical music for every day of the year and I decided a couple of weeks ago that I would try and follow it which I am doing but not every day. Favourite new discovery so far was Unsent Love Letters by Elena Kats-Chernin based on some of Erik Satie’s work.

Back in the 90’s I had some CDs from the Moods collection (compilation CDs on various themes) well these CDs seem to have got lost over the years and I have been trying to replace them but it hasn’t been easy.

Last year I found that someone had made a public playlist on Amazon Music of Pure Moods which I listen to a lot. At the beginning of January someone was selling secondhand CDs and had posted the track lists for Acoustic Moods and Instrumental Moods and I have now created my own playlists and am basically listening to them on constant repeat.

3: Cosy Clothes

These joggers from Oti Mabuse’s collection at Sainsbury’s. They are ludicrously soft and cosy and thankfully I have two pairs that I wear on rotation when working from home.

4: Food and Drink

Twinings Chai tea – I love it, warm, spicy and a little sweet which is exactly what I need.

Waitrose Jam Doughnuts – fluffy, sweet and light and far too delicious.

5: Pets

My cats – Coco and Chanel. Coco (in front) is very timid but occasionally she will allow you to stroke her head. Chanel (behind) is less timid and loves a snuggle but only on her terms!

6: TV

I loved the recent series of Patience on Channel 4 and of course The Great Pottery Throw Down.

7: Books

I love a good thriller and I’m currently re-reading Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell which is brilliant.

8: Newsletters

Sam Baker’s The Shift, Women are the Medicine, Receipt from the Bookshop, there are so many brilliant Substack newsletters I love reading; honourable mention to India Knight’s “Home” newsletter which is a weekly source of joy for me too.

9: Encouraging quotes

Finally, I have a habit of collecting screenshots on my phone from Instagram and last week I put one as my wallpaper and some others as my screensaver to make me smile and keep me going when the news is so unrelentingly awful.

None of the above are affiliated in any way – they’re simply what is helping me right now.

I know this is quite a frivolous post but I hope it helps lift some of the gloom a little

Thanks for reading

A x