I get a little warm in my heart, when I think of Winter...

Nostalgia - a bittersweet yearning for things of the past, defined by a physician named Johannes Hofer. He derived it from Nostos, meaning 'return' and algos, meaning suffering, 'so that thus far it is possible from the force of the sound Nostalgia to define the sad mood originating from the desire to return to one's native land.'

"And it was home: the fact that I hadn't lived there for years didn't change that. Nowhere was my sense of belonging so unambiguous"
- The Snow Geese, William Fiennes


I went home for a week. It did me good, rested me, gave me time to reflect, remember and relax. I had fun catching up with old friends - I'm not home very often anymore but it's so good to know that when I do get to go home, and have a chance to spend time with people there I've known for a long time, our friendships pick up where they left off. No awkwardness or falseness, just affection and laughter.


Pucklechurch got about 6 inches of snow. That's nothing by many countries' standards. In England, this meant life as normal came to a standstill. This meant no buses dared to take to the streets so no mega shopping trip to the new metropolis 'Cabot Circus' for me! Instead I spent some time wandering and enjoying the crisp air and dazzliest sunshine reflecting off the snow. Much better for the soul. Remember the satisfaction of being the first feet to tread through a fresh snowfall? Joy as pure and simple as the untouched blanket of snow.


I was a small child the last time that much snow fell. I remember walking up the path which led to the school door, the snow had been cleared from it and so created a sheer wall on either side that towered above me, in my red woolly bonnet I felt like a Siberian explorer braving an ice tunnel! A friend and neighbour, Sue, rescued my brother and I from school along with her own children once the school heating system had failed. We constructed an igloo in their garden with the help of their dad, Rick, then built barricades and had a snowball war. Happy memories, but tinted with the bittersweetness of childhoods past and loved ones gone.


But snow melts, Winters thaw into the warmth of Spring. A season of hope, new life, new beginnings.

I spent the weekend with my beautiful niece, we went swimming yesterday morning then to her music class in the afternoon. Spending time with her is the most amazing thing in the world, she is curious and clever, affectionate and hilariously funny. She makes my spirit soar, and I cannot wait to find out about her every adventure.