Prepare for winter

Winter is upon us and being prepared is the order of the day. Around the farm we are making sure we have a substantial woodpile, and the garden needs to be weeded and mulched so it can rest and remain low maintenance. Money needs to be spent on a store of food for the horses. The generator will run more so we need to have a store of diesel.

Because we have limited storage I have to sort through our winter clothes that we’ve kept in the storage container, which means a huge load of washing. Then the summer clothes have to go away. I plan to re-gift clothes in order to downsize clutter, so time for a clothes swap party!

I hate the cold. I hear you say ‘why live in a cold climate then?’ I ask myself the same question and take joy in the fact that moving to the Megalong Valley from Blackheath meant moving to a warmer climate of about 5 degrees. In the 10 odd years I’ve been in the Blue Mountains I’ve struggled in wintertime with my mental health. I go bat shit crazy with cabin fever. In recent times I’ve learnt to keep myself busy with work and hobbies and have downtime in summer. Patrick runs a business so he’s always busy. In winter he builds out in the cold and blistery weather on roofs, up ladders and under floorboards. I don’t know how he does it.

We also try to get away to a warmer climate in winter, even if it’s just for a few days. Being able to thaw out midwinter makes a huge difference in one’s ability to cope with the long season. In the Mountains it can be cold and windy as late as November.  Wearing good quality winter clothing such as wool thermals, jumpers, and socks is good practice. Wool thermals are great as they absorb body odour, so you can wear a garment for a number of days. This also means that you don’t have to buy as many items, which makes them good bang for buck. And of course wool is natural which is fabulous.