old style pastimes

oldtractor

go for walks and jogging keeps the spirits up and makes me feel better.

Rummer

I love the excuse for staying indoors and snuggling up and doing the things I love, including crochet, painting, baking, planning the garden and reading. Often however just watching a movie in front of the fire is enough. The winter is a great opportunity to enjoy your home.

mardatha

I love winter. I think in a past life I was a hedgehog. I can cosy in with a good scarey book or knitting or yakking on here - and I watch clouds. I could spend all day just cloud-watching. I feed the birds, go walks, sit at the fire knitting or reading or eating sweeties.

MandM90

Wrap up REEEEALLY warm and go for a walk. I love coming back with cold, pink cheeks to a cosy warm house then snuggling infront of the fire with hot chocolate, a blanket and a good movie!

Sitting in a warm coffee shop with a big frothy drink (not very MSE I know) watching the world go by!

Downloading a new book onto my kindle for reading on the train.

When my wife makes me a hot drink in the flask to drink on the way to work.

Also, sorry to lower the tone but a bit of lovin' under the covers keeps you both warm and spirits up!!

jpscloud

I was just watching clouds when I refreshed the page and saw your post Mardatha! There are some really interesting formations going on at the moment, high white wispy bits going in the opposite direction to large dark cumulus lower down.

valk_scot

Little_Vics wrote: »

Thanks! I don't really mean hobbies though - I mean those little things that keep your spirits up like a long country blustery walk, a hot bath....a new magazine!

Hobbies do keep the spirits up though. In summer I spend a lot of time outside in the garden, the allotment and camping. Used to cycle a lot too. Then suddenly the season changes and I go over to indoor activities instead. I knit a lot, I watch DVDs, I make huge pans of soup, casseroles, make bread and sticky puddings. I spin too and while summer is the time for washing fleeces straight from the sheep's back, winter is the time to spin it all up. You can't get cosier than sitting knitting a big pure wool blanket imho!

7_week_wonder

Candles, hot baths and homemade soups. Often two of the three together, but have never tried all three together:p

JackieRHE

If it's really cold, wet and windy I love to come home and have a meal of home-made shepherd's pie, then sit reading for a while, then a long bath and bed.

Lots of drinking chocolate helps too. :j

I envy everyone who has a real fire. I don't even have a fireplace in my little house; it's all central heating.

daphne_descends

I love this time of year, so a blustery walk with the children watching the leaves turn and then fall is bliss for me also starting to do a bit of baking, I lose my enthusiasm for it in the summer months (esp with a small hot kitchen) but the smell of fresh bread or a cake in the oven makes me feel all homely and warm

jpscloud

Love the blustery walk idea! I make a kind of den in the bedroom for winter too - I have a tv and dvd player with a huge stack of dvds (all bought cheapie from Amzie or play) and amazingly an open fire! I have a clay chiminea in there to reduce clearing up, and burn small logs that I harvest from the garden (not sure what I'll do when the leylandii run out!)

With the little fire burning, some incense and a rose quartz tealight holder thingie, a flask of coffee and stacks of biccies and a cheesy dvd on, it's my hibernation heaven!

Around the house I adjust the lighting a bit - I know some people hate stick lights but I like 'em and a bunch of those in the corner of the room really brightens it up on grey days. I also put an extra lamp in corners (or use nice candles if I have them) when I feel really oppressed.