101 things to cheer up the winter blues

[Green Rosie]

Lovely ideas - keep them coming please. This is what I have done so far:

Been to the garden centre and planned lots of things for the garden
Got some knitting needles from a friend - realised I cannot make head nor tail of casting on from the notes I was assured from a friend "are dead-easy to follow!" Time to call on friend who loaned needles for a knitting evening
Taken the dogs for lots of long walks - and not got wet once ..... yet
Gobbled up lots of lovely soup and home-made bread
Sat down in front of the woodburner with the boys and read them lots of stories
AND - looked at swapping our rather aloof non cuddly cat for a softer more cuddly model I jest ..... but Oh for a cat that doesn't go all rigid when you pick him up

[Green Rosie]

35. Fill large glass with favourite tipple - cuddle up in armchair and have a long natter with a distant friend on the phone

[Ranter]

That sounds exactly like our plot when we got it. On our site we are not allowed to use carpets or black plastic to kill f grass/ weeds. We have a heavy clay soil, so we've found the easiest/ cheapest way to deal with it is to remove the turf with a spade slicing of the top layer. T

My cat also goes rigid when picked up, but at this time of year she does like to sit on my lap. When she's sat there, purring loudly, it really is the best antidote to winter blues.

[theabsinthefairy]

Forgotten the numer:

Take all those silly little jobs that you have been putting off for months, open the doors and windows, turn on the stereo and get on with them.

- It is lovely and sunny here at the moment - won't go so far as to say warm - but so far over the last couple of days,
I have dressed the spare room with some new cushions covers, candles and throws,
painted one wall in my daughter's bedroom pink and rearranged furniture, finished a throw I have been knitting all December,
painted the salt dough items I made for Xmas pressies but did not get round to finishing,
walked the dog,
brushed the horse (first time she has been dry enough for that for a while, made up a few buckets of kindling ready for the cold weather and snow forecast for the weekend,
tied out all the rubbishy old clothes in my wardrobe and added them to the decorating rags pile - made me depressed just to drag them on,
bottled up some chillies with olive oil,
made up some jars of marinated olives ready for Sunday's dinner party.

Exhausted - going for a cup of coffee now and cuddle with the kittens.

[Green Rosie]

Forgotten the numer:

Take all those silly little jobs that you have been putting off for months, open the doors and windows, turn on the stereo and get on with them.

Number about 36 .....

Too windy here for opening doors and windows but:

37. Go for a days coppicing - great for clearing some cobwebs and getting a supply of firewood, hedging stakes/binders and pea sticks
38. When coppicing have a huge bonfire
39. When coppicing again on Thursday have another bonfire and take baking spuds and bananas in foil .

[red]

40 order seeds. lots.

[Green Rosie]

40 order seeds. lots.

41. .... and seed potatoes and onion sets

[theabsinthefairy]

42. Jump up and down when ordered seeds arrive, and get out the graph paper and colouring pens and sit down and plan the veggies for spring.

Opened the envelope my seeds arrived in this morning, with a gorgeous aroma of aniseed in there - beautiful.

[ocailleagh]

43. This might be an obvious one but, St. John's Wort! Of course this can clash with certain medications and birth control, so best not use it in those cases. It makes for a lovely bit of midsummer colour in the herb garden too!

44. In a similar vein, many essential oils have an uplifting effect and, depending on the ones used, can evoke the summer (citrus and floral oils) or celebrate the winter (spices, frankincense).

45. Oats are excellent for mild depression and can be added to many a winter dish, not to mention a nice hot bowl of porridge to wake you up in the mornings.

46. Winter colour! This one takes a little pre-planning, but if you have the space, why not plant something (possibly easily viewable from the kitchen window) winter-flowering or otherwise something that's gorgeously coloured over winter? Maybe with a bird table nearby so you can watch the robins having a feast at the same time as admiring the pretty colours!

[LBR]

47. Bake gingerbread and eat it hot with whipped cream.

48. Sort books and play favorite music.

49. Watch charming old movies.

50. Give away something to someone who'd really appreciate it.

51. Volunteer at a soup kitchen.

52. Make something to give to a stranger and then go find someone and give it to them.

53. Take an indulgent bath and slather expensive oils on your skin.

54. Use a sunlamp or full spectrum lamp.

55. Get out in the sunshine and soak it in.

56. Go somewhere warm and balmy.