Dreary Day in January

I awoke to fog, rain and a good case of the sniffles.  The January thaw is a brief respite from the bitter cold temperatures of earlier in the week.  I will not be fooled into thinking we are anywhere near then end of this winter. Feeling weary with this head cold and uninspired I decided on a cup of tea and a browse through my two new books.  One (the Zero Mile Diet Cookbook) a Christmas gift from my mother and the other (66 Square Feet - A Delicious Life) a late Christmas gift to myself. My new books are lovely and filled with gorgeous photographs and mouth watering recipes  I want to savour every page.

The covers of both showing lush green vegetation in stark contrast to the view out the kitchen window where everything is a shade of grey or brown against the melting snow.  Even the birds (dark-eyed juncos) coming to visit this morning have no colour. Where are my bright cardinals hiding today?    

I love books in general-  the feel and smell of both bright new pages and old well read worn out ones, but I have a weakness for cookbooks and gardening books.  If I bought all that I wanted I would be broke and surrounded by stacks.  The books I do have are all precious and meaningful to me in some way.  Novels read years ago that perhaps I wouldn't read now, but that bring fond memories. Books about nature and birds, books that have inspired me through dark days and months, books that make me laugh and books that make my heart ache with every page. The latest two books have me itching to get into my garden and see lush green and bright colours around me once again.  For now I must immerse myself in these colourful pages and dream and plan  all the things that I will grow in my vegetable garden this Spring and Summer.