Wyn Drabble: I’ve had enough of cold tootsies

Wyn Drabble has had enough of cold frosty mornings. Photo / Warren Buckland.

Opinion

OPINION

I’m over winter.

Yes, I’ve had enough of the cold. Instead of white and crisp frosty mornings, I would like to see a golden sun rising over warm tropical waters.

Instead of cold tootsies, I would like toes caressed by warm, golden sand. Barefoot, of course.

Instead of a heat pump, I would like a gentle breeze blowing through the shade of verdant trees.

Instead of bitter winds and driving rain, I would like a zephyr and an occasional cleansing, cooling shower. Comfortable and refreshing.

Instead of icy car window mornings, I would like to drive with the windows down. Except during the cleansing, cooling shower.

And I feel for the kids biking to school on frosty mornings. It looks like they’re vaping but many are not.

I guarantee I’m not alone.

Wyn Drabble

On the other side of the fence there are those who will extol the virtues of winter: skiing on the snowy slopes or warming themselves by a blazing log fire with a mug of mulled wine at hand.

It’s like everything; there’s no one fit for all. After all, there are people who wear woollen beanies in midsummer and those who wear stubbies and jandals in midwinter. To each his or her own.

So let’s look at what some people see as the positives of winter. One biggie is the celebration of a white Christmas but that only applies to the Northern Hemisphere. The decorations twinkling from the snowy landscape are an added bonus and create a magical world for the young.

From around our barbecue on the beach, we in the Southern Hemisphere can only imagine what a fully decorated white Christmas is like. But the fact that it’s summer certainly does not stop the decorations. We can see a reindeer on a roof as early as November.

Some see snow as a winter positive. Yes, snow. Both falling and blanketing the ground. One comment I read said, “Nothing can replace the joy of sledding or building a snowman.” I’m putting that in the debatable category.

There are apparently those who derive comfort from the thicker, cosier clothes of winter. That’s fine if overcoats and scarves are your bag but I’m afraid I’m more in the T-shirt, shorts and Jandals camp. Besides, there are those who feel they look better when wearing as little as possible (though I know I’m not in that camp).

In winter you can go to the cinema during the daytime without someone telling you that it’s too nice a day to do that. Personally I feel I have thick enough skin to brush that one off.

The lack of bugs is one of the worthier winter weather arguments. I don’t know exactly where the flies and mosquitoes go but just away is good.

Another worthy one is winter’s possible reduction of sun damage to the human skin. There’s certainly no denying the negative effect of the summer sun on our fragile skin. Skin cancers are one of the most common cancers diagnosed in our ozone-depleted country and it is often claimed that our rate is the highest in the world.

Winter food is also more appealing to many; they prefer hearty, slow-cooked casseroles and soups to charred barbecued meat and salads.

There is a very simple idea that opposites aid appreciation. As Kahlil Gibran pointed out you can’t know joy without knowing sorrow. So, having to experience winter enables you more fully to appreciate summer.

Yes, that’s a really sensible way to look at things but unfortunately it and all the other arguments offered fail to alter my opening statement which now doubles as my closing statement but with the addition of a single word.

I’m still over winter.