Winter Sunshine
I love crisp, cold, sunny winter days. The frost covers the bare patches of the lawn, the washing can go out for a breath of fresh air and next doors cat is too cold to come out and torment the dog. We filled up the feeders so the birds are coming for their lunch and as we sit to watch them from the warmth of inside carpet picnic at the ready, that’s when I noticed it. The dark side of the winter sun, it was like slow motion, the rays through the window were blocked periodically by some grime that magically appeared in the winter sun light, Labrador nose marks and little hand prints, everywhere! Clearly, on the days next doors cat was strutting it’s stuff outside, my dog forgot about the bay window and threw herself up it whilst my child left secret cave markings. The dog in question at this moment decided to join us, in the middle of our carpet picnic, she plonked herself down with a thud and oh, the dust. My daughter thought the dog had been blessed by fairies and the particles (visible in the winter sun) which were floating off her, landing all around the room were, obviously, filled with magical qualities. I cleaned yesterday, YESTERDAY! But in this light it looks like I’m decorating for Halloween! I head to the kitchen for a duster and out of the window see rain! On the washing! I run outside and have half emptied the line before I realise it’s not raining. I go back to the kitchen and see rain out of the window. Then I notice it, some small birds, the birds I’ve just fed, having a bath in the gutter! Splashing their water and feathers and goodness knows what else all over the windows and the washing. Sunny winter days I have concluded are not for staying in, they are for wearing every item of clothing, packing a bag with a shovel and a flask and heading out, until it’s dark enough to sit in your house without noticing the fairy dust, after all, as my daughter informed me, it’s supposed to be invisible so it’s better not to look when you can see it!
