S.A.D

Two weeks ago I got cold in my bones and now I just can’t shake off the shivering. I’m considering moving into thermals, which is something I put off for as long as possible in winter,because once they are on, I can’t take them off and wear them under even the skimpiest of  Christmas tops. I mean really- could I be any sexier?
I haven’t really embraced Winter yet. I’m still in mourning for my lovely summer and at the risk of developing S.A.D and needing intensive light therapy, it’s time we got cosy…
And so my list of puttery treats for this week?
1. Take the wreath off my door and re-invent it for the pre-Christmas season.  Dried hydrangeas, ivy from the garden, velvet ribbon, and old lace.
2. Change the bulbs in the living room lamps for ones with a rosy pink glow.
3. Buy a “daylight” bulb for my bedroom and set the timer so that it clicks on in the morning, thus acting as an alarm to prevent any more “sleeping in” incidents, and easing my body into morning when the rest of the world is telling it is still the middle of the night.
4. String blue fairy lights around Finley’s bedroom, so story time becomes that little bit more magical.
5. Wrap up warm, make a flask of coffee and sort the back garden out. The wilderness is depressing…
6.Take me to a nursery and buy winter bulbs for forcing scrumptious fragrant indoor displays..
7. Thread cranberries onto heart shaped wire and hang them in the kitchen.
8. Plant winter primulas in the cast iron pots at my front door.
9. Launder another quilt in lavender and layer it on the end of my bed for extra cold nights…
10. Hunt out my bed socks, and slipper socks and pop them into a little basket next to my bed. Warm toes,  warm heart?
11. Put the rug back down in the living room, for an extra layer of scrumptious scarlet coziness.
12.  Eat breakfast by candlelight as is our winter tradition, while burning cinnamon and cloves on the stove.
13. Handwash some fleecy jimjams, press them with orange water and tuck under my pillow for tonight.
14. Spread a fleecy blanket across the sheet on my bed so I never have to face the horror of icy cold cotton.
15. Tumble dry a towel and his jamas for a minute or two before Finley’s bath so I can wrap him up in snuggly warmth.
16.  Pile blankets on the arm of every chair. Stack books on end tables and fill bowls with tangerines. Winter is about abundance…
17. Set up my hot chocolate tray in the kitchen. Dry billions of slices of orange and add them to bowls full of pinecones.
18.  Cover the bare pine of the dining room table in white crocheted lace.  Bring in branches to force and create a wildly extravagant display dripping with tiny ribbon tied crystals and dried berries.
19. Strip the loose-covers off the sofa and armchair for cleaning and then take the opportunity to beat the feather cushions into scrumptious fullness.
20. Change the cd’s in the living room for old-fashioned melodies, Judy Garland and Jim Reeves, and swirl around the carpet with my son…