Editorial: Winter has its ups and downs

Be careful each frosty morning.

Brrrr. Getting out of bed in the mornings just got a whole lot harder.

If the frosts and the temperatures in Rotorua this week are anything to go by, we are well and truly into winter.

Most newspapers around this time of year will have the annual "winter stories" - chief among them winter injuries, illnesses and how to beat the winter blues.

On Monday morning, I found myself doing a cartoon-style legs out from under me, flying in the air fall when I stepped out my back door and down my wooden steps.

In my early-morning haze my brain failed to connect the thick frost on the ground with the possibility of ice on the steps, until I was mid-air.

It happened in slow motion.

The kettle of water I was carrying to clear the frost from the windscreen went flying, me landing with a jolt on my back. Luckily the only thing seriously hurt was my pride.

But each year many aren't so lucky.

So please everyone, do take care on those slippery surfaces and those icy roads.

Hopefully the high uptake of the flu vaccine will protect many of us from the dreaded winter flu - which has the potential to keep even fit and healthy people out of action for a couple of weeks.

For the elderly or vulnerable, it can be a lot more serious.

Then there's the winter blues, or seasonal affective disorder as it's officially known.

Waking up in the dark, going home in the dark can get depressing.

But before you all hide under your duvets and hibernate until September, remember there are some positives.

Hot soup, roaring fires, Saturday mornings in bed, hot chocolate and a Rugby World Cup to look forward to at the end.

Welcome to winter. Rug up, stay safe and enjoy.