Christmas time this year has thrown all kinds of weather at us from luminous days of blue sky and clear views to blustery foggy blankness just to further confuse us as to which covid-colour day it is from red to orange to yellow. It doesn’t matter too much for me. I’m glad to enjoy my solitude which is certainly not the same thing as loneliness and am developing my cooking skills so I don’t need restaurants which sadly are reduced to just cooking for take-away. The higher villages in our valley have received snowfalls but at Longoio at just 2,200 feet above sea level we’re just getting lots of something between rain and sleet. Although the lovely days are paid for by very cold nights I prefer these to living in a milder climate with days more reminiscent of Atlantic tempests. On one of the nicer days I took my cats for a walk (or rather they took me) in the woods around Longoio.
Suddenly round one corner of the path a big vivacious dog appeared and our cats felt it was better to disappear somewhat rapidly. Archie, our latest addition, now a resident of our household for just over a year, quickly headed for the nearest tree where he showed his prowess in arboreal climbing.
Less successful was Archie’s descent from the tree until he realised that it’s easier to get down a tree tail first since claws grip a lot better that way.
Today we are once again plunged to gloom and dark vapours.
What does one do in such an environmentally hostile situation? The best thing ù is to check one’s rations of food, wine, and activities.
Fortunately I’d prepared for Christmas reasonably well so none of these will be a problem for next couple of weeks at east. Of DVD’s and streaming I have an ample supply watching everything from epics like ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ (an excellent way to keep warm just gaze upon those vast expanses of desert (you can read about our adventures in the Jordan’s desert at https://longoio2.wordpress.com/2014/11/04/wadi-rum-or-mars/)
to costume classics like ITV’s excellent 2007 version of ‘Northanger Abbey’ to ‘Queenie’, a somewhat fantasised film about the life of Merle Oberon, and other things like “Fifty shades of Grey” which paradoxically remains a feminist film as the heroine (and she really has to be one, unlike Catherine Moorland) has free choice to have whatever pleasurable (?) punishments are inflicted upon her.
Anyway, Archie has given up up his tree climbing for the time being and is restricting himself to the comfort of the sofa. It’s really that sort of day!
