WINTER WANDERINGS

I know I’m in the minority here, but I do enjoy winter. It might be my Russian heritage, but I enjoy the quiet contemplativeness of it. I like cosy nights inside, with a throw rug over my knees and a good book in my hands and my kitty-cats curled up beside me. I like the idea that I can play the piano at midnight and not have to worry about disturbing the neighbours because everyone’s windows are shut and heavily curtained. The cold makes them sleep deeply, and should they hear the tinkling of Chopin, they’ll hopefully incorporate it into their dreams.

I also like winter fashions – structured coats, boots, hats! I’m not a fan of sweating anywhere but a in workout.

Some years ago, when I was visiting friends in Berlin, I was invited to a dinner party where another Australian was present, Mike. Our German hostess, Ida, said that she felt ‘depressed’ in winter, and I could see the alarm immediately spring to Mike’s face. ‘But you should do something about that,’ he said. ‘Listen to some motivational speakers or get more exercise.’ Ida looked taken aback, ‘But I like being depressed,’ she answered. ‘That is what winter is for.’

Perhaps ‘depressed’ hadn’t been the right word for what Ida was experiencing. But winter offers us a chance to slow down and reflect. We can hibernate and look within. It’s a great time for reading books that demand more from us than our beach and holiday reads. It also lends itself to deep conversations over a warm meal with a treasured friend than perhaps wilting by the pool in deckchairs does, with a glass of Chardonnay in one hand while we fan away insects with the other.

Mind you, I did endure some brutal and long winters when I lived in the New York, and I can’t say I liked them. The constant darkness was emphasised by the city’s main mode of transport: the subway. I did witness some fellow Australians go bonkers due to the lack of sunlight. But at the same time, I also got up in the dark up at 5 o’clock each morning to write my first novel. Rugged up and with snow gathering on my windowsill, I completed White Gardenia in way I probably wouldn’t have if I had been writing on the beach.

The lack of sunlight isn’t a problem in Sydney in winter – unless you are trying to dry washing on a clothesline. Nor do we have to dig ourselves out of our driveways every morning or risk our necks rushing to work on slippery ice.

But it might also be part of the reason many of us hate it so much. If we were snowed in, we would have to resign ourselves to seasonal winter pursuits. But because we can still go outdoors, we try to act as if is still summer and then complain when we set out for a morning walk only to discover it is 7°C (44°F) outside, and we are wearing shorts.

My enjoyment of winter is largely self-taught. If I could, I’d probably live between a two-season year of spring and autumn. I don’t fare well in the dizzy heat of summer and my pale European skin burns easily, so I spend as much time in the shade as I can. I can’t sleep with the aircon on as it gives me a headache, so I tend to sleep fitfully and dream weird dreams. But there is no point to being unhappy and full of complaints for an entire season of the year. So, I taught myself to fully appreciate the delights of summer – long hours of daylight, writing in the garden under a tree, delicious fruit, and siestas for the hottest part of the day that allow me to stay up late writing with the windows open and nocturnal animals parading across my balcony.

And so, to winter. There is something to be said for deep sleep under a quilt while the wind rattles the windows. Or stoically rising early to walk in the brisk air, steam puffing out of your mouth as you breathe. There is something nice about wrapping yourself up tightly before leaving a restaurant, waving briefly to your friends and then running to your car and turning up the heat before you drive off.

For me, the magic of winter is in the walks I take around my neighbourhood. I’ve been sharing some photographs on my social media, and I’ll share one with you here. The colours and textures often make me feel like I have stepped into a painting by van Gogh. (Whereas summer feels a lot more like Monet).

However, if like Mike, you need some uplifting content to get you through winter, I have a few things on offer, see below.

Until next time.

Belinda XX

THE INTENTIONALIST

This is the weekly inspirational newsletter I put together with my friend Kelly Morton. It will arrive in your inbox each Friday. Subscription is free.

ANNOUNCING SOUL QUEENS

Hold onto your crowns – Jane and Belinda have gathered their woo-woo together to introduce an exciting new segment to our Book Queens online book club.

The first Sunday evening each month we will post a pre-recorded interview with a fabulous personal development or spiritual author. We’ll chat with them about their book and what we personally learned from it. We will also ask our guest to offer an exercise for you to practice over the coming month to boost your happiness and sparkle. We really hope this segment will uplift and inspire you. (Posting time will be 6pm AEST).

To get updates you can subscribe here:

WINTER READING – THE MASTERPIECE

A wartime betrayal, a race against time ... and a secret hidden in a painting.

Paris 1946: A young woman, Eve Archer, has come to Paris to find the father she never knew. She is soon caught up in a desperate race to prove her father's innocence against the accusation that he sold a French national treasure to Hitler during the war, and murdered the original owner to obtain it.

Her efforts uncover the complicated friendship between two art dealers and the woman they both loved, a Russian artist named Kristina Belova.

EVENT - WILLOUGHBY LITERARY FESTIVAL

HISTORICAL FICTION PANEL - With Belinda Alexandra, Sue Williams, Lauren Keegan and Nicole Alexander.

I will be on a panel with these amazing authors as part of the Willoughby Literary Festival.
Saturday, July 19, 9.45am
(Willoughby, Sydney).
Details below
https://libraries.willoughby.nsw.gov.au/.../Panel...