What A Day Feels Like…

‘Christmas isn’t a season, it’s a feeling.’ – Edna Ferber (an American novelist, short story writer and playwright).
‘May you live all the days of your life.’ – Jonathan Swift.

There are some days, like today, when you just have a feeling for the sorts of things you should be doing.

Today it’s chilly, grey and raining. This is not unusual weather to experience in Mid Wales (we get it quite a lot) but this is the first time in a while when I’ve actually had a feeling that on such a day, I should be doing certain things. Putting things in order, listening to Alt-J’s album, getting a walk out of the way earlier on in the day, coming home and getting clean and dry, sorting out a few things… One of those days where you tidy up a bit, cook something homely, buy some chocolate and eat it on the sofa in the evening in front of the X Factor (yes, it’s started again!) with a comforting cup of tea. The fact that it is Sunday just helps to reinforce this.

There are other types of days too. The first really warm day of the year, when, finally, the chill has gone from the air. That day when you can almost feel the grass growing beneath your feet and the flower buds opening. The first sunlit, glorious day of the year after months of winter darkness. The first day to sit outdoors for dinner, a drink or just to relax after work and actually feel comfortable, not like you’re forcing yourself ‘just because it’s sunny’.

Then there is those lazy summer days when you feel like you shouldn’t do anything whatsoever except finding the nearest pool of water and go for a quick swim before lounging about for the rest of the day, perhaps with a picnic and a BBQ later on. The flies buzz past and it is so hot you could fry an egg on the pavement and everyone is complaining about the heat and the sunshine after months of complaining about the cold and the rain and snow, but you know they’re secretly enjoying the glorious weather. We Brits just love a moan about the weather.

Obviously there are the days where our actions are somewhat dictated to us. Christmas is the best example. It is fed to us from a young age that Christmas is a family occasion. We should open our presents surrounded by our loved ones, preferably with a log fire burning in the grate and a heavy snowfall on the ground outside. Stereotypically, there are Christmas jumpers, maybe a novelty Santa’s hat… An open box of Quality Street’s on the table and wrapping paper strewn haphazardly across the floor. From the kitchen, the smell of Christmas cooking is wafting, tantalising. The best meal of the year – the Christmas roast – is making your mouth water. Chocolate for breakfast, films in the afternoon, a game or two of cards, Monopoly or some other board game…. A perfect day, that doesn’t change over the years, and why should it?

And so here I am. I have been on my walk early on (got soaked and no photo opportunities) and I feel like I’ve achieved something today just by doing that. I’ve posted off a parcel and taken my horse’s rugs to be cleaned (getting things done). I’m clean and dry now after a quick shower and have the chocolate ready and waiting for tonight’s television marathon (X Factor, Downton Abbey and TOWIE – sad, I know). I have Alt-J playing and my housemate is cleaning downstairs, another rainy day activity. Now all that remains is to decide on what sort of homely meal I should cook for dinner. I’m leaning towards sausage and mash…..