February

There's only a few hours left of February.

I will miss the muted colours, the greys and browns and whites. I will miss the Seville oranges.

I won't miss the penetrating chill that doesn't seem to leave. I'm so tired of feeling cold. I'm so tired of taking ages to layer up before I can leave the house. I need sunshine!


Shivering aside, in February I've been...


Reading...
Heidi. I hadn't read this since I was a child and now I just want to experience summer in the Swiss alps. Rambling among wildflowers every day, a diet of fresh bread & cheese, sleeping on hay. It sounds dreamy.

Listening to...
Noah and the Whale, Fleet Foxes, the usual suspects really. All making me think of spring. The song 'Emmylou' by First Aid Kit is absolutely beautiful.

Watching...
I was gripped by the recent Poliakoff, Dancing on the Edge. Chiwetel Ejiofor and Matthew Goode are two very gorgeous human beings. The production was stunning, and sinister. I also can't get through the week without a dose of Call the Midwife. I love it, I don't care.

Buying...
Bits and bobs for my camera. There's always just one more piece of kit that I want. On the list now is a 50mm prime lens, oh and Adobe CS6. Ha. When I'm rich.

Loving...
My hot water bottle.

Bluetits

There isn't much outside to photograph during this part of winter. Colour is hard to find, so that even the tiniest briefest spots of blue and yellow jump out at you. The garden is full of bluetits. Maybe I drew these ones in a subconscious effort to bring on some feeling of spring.

Fussy eater?

There are only a few foods I am really fussy about.

B r e a d   
Fresh and homemade, if not then from a bakery. Crusty, soft inside, warm, with a bit of butter or some homemade marmalade. Maybe toasted. My all time favourite thing to eat. Sliced white supermarket stuff just isn't bread. It'd do a better job as a kitchen sponge. 

P e a n u t  b u t t e r 
Always crunchy, and should never ever contain added sugar.

C o f f e e    
I still have a lot to learn but my favourite kind of coffee tastes slightly nutty. (Instant coffee is tapwater.) Strong, black, no sugar, but I like cappuccinos too. (Working in a cafe I have learnt that old people prefer filter coffees with cream on the side, mums with buggies drink lattes, spoilt children like babyccinos if only for the chocolate sprinkles, and birdwatchers like black Americanos with an extra shot.)

O r a n g e s    
That navel kind you get in January, super juicy with the most amazing flavour.

A p p l e s     
If you leave apples out in a fruit bowl they go mushy and soft, and that is very wrong. I think mushy apples would be in my Room 101. Apples must be kept in the fridge so they stay really, really crisp. I'm fond of a granny smith, and those ruby red apples with the almost translucent white flesh.

Other than that, I'll happily tuck into pretty much anything. (Except mayonnaise. And whipped cream. And scrambled egg. And banana cake. And pineapple...)