Pushing the Boundaries

I love reading about people in extremes of circumstances who manage to survive against the odds. Whether they are battling up freezing mountains while suffering from altitude sickness, or staggering across baking deserts with blinding headaches and stomach upsets - and every variation in between - my admiration for such people knows no bounds. Perhaps even more inspiring are those who have not chosen their particular discomfort but are trapped, imprisoned, cast adrift, but who hang on anyway enduring appalling conditions. I don't enjoy reading about them. Whatever the cause, whatever the nature of their trials, I am in utter awe of them. For I believe I don't have that particular gene, and would lie down and wait to die at the first serious obstacle. This may be why I never get into a hot scented bath, never hop into the car for a long or short journey, never climb into my heavenly white bed at night (electric blanket on? then just press a switch), never even turn on the washing machine or dishwasher without thanking my lucky stars for the luxuries at my fingertips, and the gift of choice. And so the Syrian refugees we see every night on TV who are so desperate to get a foothold somewhere they may eventually be able to call home after losing theirs touch me deeply. Can we even begin to imagine losing not only access to a comforting bath or safe place to sleep at night but everything we held dear, everything? It's a harrowing, terrible situation. There but for the grace of god.

For the first time since summer began I closed all of my kitchen blinds this evening. It was quite dark outside when I began cooking supper, and I suddenly craved the cosiness when the black night is shut away. By chance I also had the Rayburn on, unusual for the past few months as I've used my electric hob for cooking casual meals. But tonight I had my whole crop of beetroot to roast, and a gammon joint to bake in its coat of brown sugar and cloves. The warmth from the range filled the kitchen, and the cooking smells wafted deliciously around my head. Summer's great, but winter has its charms too. Who'd prefer to sit outside in the sunshine sipping a cold glass of wine when they could be curled up indoors like this? Um, well .....