Monday, January 20, 2020

... and a very achey New Year


 A very belated Happy New Year to you all. I've not been busy just hesitant to come out from underneath the fleece blanket!

Yes, I not only survived the Christmas holidays, but finally, after 3 years, I've had my first good Xmas here in Newfoundland. I prepared Xmas dinner for my dad and siblings; and although both my brother and I had to work fairly hard at the beginning of our time together to fend off the negative comments, pretty soon everyone else joined in the fun and laughter  and we all had a good time together. At 89 years of age, my dad won't be around for many more of these.


The remainder of my Xmas break was a rotation of favorite movies while eating melted brie and/or chocolate with regular walks outside in the cold air to "blow the stink off me" as an old friend's father used to say to us. And there may have been a day or two spent at the Mall checking out the Xmas sales. 


New Year's Eve was a quiet one. I actually enjoy a quiet evening at home; and this year featured one of my favorite wines, Sandara. And what's more festive than Shaun of the Dead, huh! It worked for Toroto and I.

Now that Xmas is over, the near future looks cold and bleak. It's been in the  -12 to -20 C range (10 to -4 F) lately with plenty of the white stuff outside. But we did not get hit with last week's storm like the provincial capital did: St. John's had a day and a half snow storm where 76.2 cm of snow fell: that's 30" of snow! And with the 150 km/hr winds, the snow drifts covered cars and highways 15' in places. Wow! They declared a state of emergency, and even today -- 3 days later -- schools, business' and shops are not open.

Before me are 2-3 months of cold and snow and isolation. So, to help combat cabin fever and total shut-down of my joints and muscles, I've begun to swim a couple of mornings a week. (When I say swim, I mean crawl a couple of laps.) So, while I may not seize up this winter, I do have to get past muscles screaming because they haven't been used like this for a while! Ahhhhh, the joys of aging!

Hope you're warm where you are, my blogging friends.  I may be here at work, but the fleece is always handy!







4 comments:

Starting Over, Accepting Changes - Maybe said...

I am glad to read that you had a good Christmas with your family. I am sure you made your dad very happy.

TARYTERRE said...

aging is a pain for sure. your christmas sounds lovely. i'm glad you got to have a great time with your dad and family. my dad died last year so it was a somber holiday for us. our daughter (whose boyfriend also died) fixed us dinner at her place and it was nice, but the deaths were the elephant in the room. stay bundled up and keep warm when you go out, especially after swimming. those temps are nothing to ignore. it got down to 9 degrees here, with 50 mph winds. seems to be bitterly cold everywhere. take care. happy new year.

I'm mostly known as 'MA' said...

We are some warmer than you are but still below freezing and only a few inches of snow on the ground. I too am hoping to get out doing som swimming, but haven't yet. A friend of mine was going to take me but she's been sick. We do tend to stiffen up way to much in the winter and the cold feels like it freezes my bones so I can hardly move. So happy to hear you had Christmas with family. For me that is what it's all about. Keep warm and stay healthy. Happy New Year.!

Leanne said...

Hi Sandy - I wanted to pop over and meet you after seeing your comment on my post. I hope you'll think about becoming part of our Wed Midlife Party because your posts would be a great fit and you could meet some more Midlife bloggers.
That being said, I am amazed at the amount of snow! In Western Australia we never get snow and I've never seen it (other than a few tiny whisps in Europe once). I can't beging to imagine what it'd be like to live in that cold an environment (although the two Vancouver Island bloggers in our group seem to experience it every year and survive). Enjoy your fleece blanket and I hope you'll be back for another visit x

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