It's that time of year again!
The clocks went back a few weeks ago which means we now have much shorter days here in the Scottish Highlands. It's now starting to get dark at 4:30, and when I say it gets dark, I really mean it. With no street lights in our area, it is basically pitch black for about 16 hours of the day.
Living here for the last two years, I've come up with a few ways of coping with the long winter nights, so I thought I'd share three of the ways I've learned to enjoy this time of year.
Find a "Winter Hobby"
I normally finish work at 5:30pm, when it is already dark in the winter months. This means there are long evenings in the winter months that need to be filled with something. Over the last few years, I decided to take up a "winter hobby", something special to fill my evenings that I only do in the winter months making it seem like a treat. One year, we decided to have James Bond movie marathon, watching each movie and ranking our favourites. Most years, we have bought a jigsaw so we can spend our evenings chatting and enjoying a good puzzle. This winter, I am aiming to master a couple of my favourite pieces of music on piano. Whatever it looks like, finding something to do that helps you relax and look forward to your evenings has really helped me and something I actually start to look forward to in the winter months.
Get outside (even in the dark or the rain)
One of the most difficult parts of winter for me is not being able to spend as much time each day outside enjoying the beautiful Highland landscape. However, with a little bit of effort, we have figured out ways to enjoy being outside over the winter months. Whether that means taking advantage of some nice weather and adapting our day to suit it, or simply wrapping up warm and heading our into the bracing weather, getting outside for a walk or just to enjoy a cup of tea outside makes such a big difference to my day.
Enjoy cooking and eating delicious food
This one is a bit of a cheat for me to say because I don't really do a lot of the cooking in my house. But over winter, with long evenings, we tend to enjoy those slow cooked dinners that we wouldn't necessarily take the time or effort to make in the busier summer months. We spend a lot of time making delicious curries or getting our pizza oven out to make delicious fresh pizzas. Spending time making delicious food in the winter months helps pass the time and also means we can enjoy delicious food without having to leave home.
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