Here we go again...

As I type from a somewhat festy cold-ridden desk (keyboard surrounded by used tissues and empty sachets of lemsip) I'm forced to acknowledge that those lazy hazy days of summer are over, and freezy, fluey winter is a'knockin.

Boooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

I hate winter. Hate the early dark nights, the mad, cold dashes to the shower, the clenched muscles and foot-stamping while I wait for the bus. I wish I was a squirrel so I could just sleep right through it.

I'm not a squirrel though, sadly, so I need to chin up. I've come up with five things about winter that I guess are kind of ok:

1. Winter comfort food, a la Julia Child. I'm talking stews, stocks, soups, roasts... basically anything french and meaty. Vegetarian flatmates be warned.



2. Strong dark beer. A Guinness will do, but something a bit heavier - like Aventinus Wheat Doppelbock or Renaissance Stonecutter Scotch Ale - is the perfect antidote to a crappy July evening.



3. Cowboy boots. I'm still on the lookout for the perfect pair, but when I find them I'll be doing all sorts of kick-ass wintery activities in them. Climbing mountains, fording streams, catching the bus... You get the idea.



4. Hot chocolate. Oh baby. I always make mine with 100% hot milk, none of that watery shizz, and occasionally I get fancy and make them with whipped cream and chilli and cinnamon.


OK so I only did that once, but it was mean.

5. Cliche that it is, rain falling on a tin roof, or pounding against a window, or threatening to break the guttering - is all rather lovely to me. Especially if I'm in bed with a book and a cup of tea. Bliss.