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| Crisp clear winter's day with a dog in a cold lake |
It seems to have been a particularly dreary winter. Cromwell always gets more than our fair share of fog and lack of sun but we seem to have had far more wet and grey than usual and I for one find that to be a real downer. It means I have to really work at motivation and enthusiasm at this time of year. I'm all for staying in bed and just letting the world happen around me. It is a bit difficult running a school and chairing a community board from bed so I have things that I do to help me get through.
My doofus dog Rosco the rescue hound is a very active and playful dog. He needs plenty of running - a ball flinger and two tennis balls are essential bits of our dog care kit. Weekends mean getting up a hill in the hope of finding blue sky and an added bonus is if we can find snow. His enthusiasm just brings pure joy. He gives us a reason to get out and about however dreary and we always come home feeling refreshed.
On a school day he joins me in the office and has a mixture of hanging out with caretaker Ray's golden retrievers, guarding the door, sleeping under my desk and having a bunch of keen children throw a ball for him to chase. He's not everyone's cup of tea and I have a leash on my desk to keep him well in check if visitors are a bit uneasy.
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| Morning meeting in the Principal's office |
When the world is grey and we just want to hunker down it is easy to hide at home and remove ourselves from mixing with others. I have to keep connected at work - you can't hide in a school - staff, parents and students provide for many and varied interactions during the work day. I make sure that we connect with our children with regular weekend calls to check on their lives - family is so important.
The bit I find tricky in winter is the interaction with friends. It seems so easy in summer to have people round, to sit outside with drinks and food cooked on the BBQ or in the pizza oven. Winter seems so much more closed in. I love to cook and I love to entertain but during winter we are much less social. Making do with a roaring fire, glass of wine and homemade bread is still something to celebrate - but does feel a bit hermit like.
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Homemade ciabatta and hummus. Enjoyed in front of a roaring fire with a glass of wine
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Cooking is still certainly one of my main mood uplifts and I love to make good food for the lovely bloke and myself and love to share it with others. My kitchen is definitely my happy place. I do have a wee bit of a problem now that my nest is empty that everything I make leads to quite hefty amounts of leftovers. I have a freezer well stocked with soups and stews portioned up for lunches and foil trays ready to pop in the oven for dinners for two. That does make a difference on cold, dark evenings when I get home without a plan for dinner. Lummox number three who is living in Dunedin is also a regular recipient of my freezer overflow.
As I look forward to lighter mornings and warmer days to come I know that I need to find the energy to start walking before work and clearing my head as I pound the streets with the dog. It certainly makes a huge difference to how I manage my life and commitments - just somehow need to find the energy and motivation to get started.
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