I'm at that time of year again where I can feel the spring coming on. Plants are starting to grow, I'm starting to wake up and feel more optimistic.
I've seen how it goes for enough years now to know the pattern for me here in this part of the world.
I'll start it in September, thats when it's great and the end of summer/ fall weather, cooling down after a hot summer and the leaves starting to turn.
October is the same thing, maybe a bit cool and feels good to put some warmer clothes on and a bit cosy at night.
November it starts to piss down with rain and the f'ing clocks are swivelled around / changed so the farmers can drive their horse and carts more safely in the mornings or something.
It almost instantly sucks for me right around the second week of November... I can't outside anymore without big coats on, it's dark at 4.30pm and it's like who the f@@@ turned the lights off, and knowing that its going to be like that for 5 more months.
My mood bombs, and really quite quickly, by end of November I'm just thinking wtf.... grumble grumble fakk fakk fakkk, 5 more months of this..
And I think about going on holiday and then realise that it would take some organising and don't seem motivated enough to do it.
December is crap, I know some people like Christmas, but honestly I hate that time of year. Many of my family died and tragically, the ones still around don't speak half the time, often nothing, and I mean Nothing! special happens at all, and I'll be sat on my own watching tv. All the 'jolly jolly' music and its a wonderful time of the year and emphasis on family + the blue mood I'm already feeling is just too much.
So I endure December, and by the end of it I am done! with winter.... but still at least 2 months of it left. I'm usually too depressed and lethargic by this time to ever get my sh1$ together to go away on a trip. Also I've noticed even if I do go on a trip I'm so down in the dumps that I just take it with me, sure a bit of sun for a week helps but by that time it's not a cure all.
January, now I'm just whining, sat around F@@@ this and F@@@ that and your an ass and he's an ass and oh my god when will it stop raining and snowing. Cabin fever setting in and maybe get the flu and for fux sake.
February is more of the same. Almost nothing noteworthy happens in February.
March I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, first signs of spring around the corner. The clocks are swivelled around again so the farmers can see where they're going at night kind of thing.
I've noticed in March that often it's when I've got it together to go travelling in the past... seems strange to leave it till March but I think thats when this winter low energy starts to lift.
So second half of March I start to get energy again, I can go outside and fix this and that and work a bit later. Feeling like my old self, optimistic, can do this can get things done. Like a weight off my shoulders.
April, might even get a bit of a spring mania going on, I've noticed it before, get a bit speedy and maybe start to overdo things a bit, urge to spring clean and thrown that winter sh@t in the garbage bin.
May is good, my work is somewhat seasonal and I like to get into the swing of it. Ride my bike, lose that winter pudding... life is OK
June is nice, longest day, ride my bike, look at the pretty ladies, life is good.
July, lots to do in this city and weather is great, sunny, light till late, my kind of weather...
August, same as July! life is good. Sometimes even a bit of rain is welcome!
Then we'er back to September again and have until early November before the 5 month long sh@t season starts again.
So my year is like 3 seasons really.
Season one Theres the bit thats September and October that bit is fall and I like that one. It's cooling down but that OK after a long summer.
Season two Then like I say there's the sh@t season with the clock change and dark at night, the grey clouds and rain, flu season, jolly jolly sh1tmas, boring January, super boring February.
Season 3 Is the bit between Mid March to early /mid September.... thats the good time, the productive time, when I can be outside and things to see and weather is reasonable and it's light enough at night and evenings to be able to be outside amongst people.
Season 1 and 3 I like, but season 2 the rainy cloudy, dark cold snowy, Sh@tmas season you can keep! Thats the one I have to find a way to tame...
I'm not sure of the best way to do it.. I have lots of ideas but I'm not sure how practical they really are. I sort of like my life here, its just the winter season I can't stand... to go away travelling for that season really isn't that appealing to me.
I have my life set up pretty nice here, nice house, nice part of the world, things mostly just as I like them nowadays... I like my self employed handyman work, I'm fortunate that I can schedule just enough of it for it to actually be enjoyable and not a grind, my gym at home and things to occupy me like my workshop and guitars, friends etc..
To use an analogy it would be as if you had your nice house and good life but for some reason the electricity company only had enough power for 8 months of the year, so they shut it off November to Feb...
Sure you could go away and travel for those months but what a drag to have to do that. It might be that you like to travel sometimes, but then there's the times when you'd have things going on and not want or easily be able to.
To me it's a bit like that, I could travel but I don't really want to, I've done a lot of it and not itching to get away. I'm in Vancouver Canada so this is about as mild as it gets here without moving to a different country.
I could go snowbird down to the southern states for a few months... that one is a bit more appealing particularly the idea of having an RV and then being able to take your 'house' and familiar things with you...
Or buy a condo and maybe go to stay in it for a few months a year and rent it out on air bnb for the other months?? Something familiar thats a home away from home, rather than in a hotel in a distant country kind of thing...
Anyway that my Friday March ramble ;)