These past few weeks before the winter solstice can feel so bleak, with the nights drawing in ever longer, and the amount of daylight getting shorter and shorter. You get up in the dark and come home in the dark. Even though today is officially just the first day of winter , it already feels like it’s been winter forever.
That cold blast we had back in early May gave us a taste of what was to come — down here in the south it was so cold that the soil in my garden was frozen solid. Added to this, the dreaded Wānaka inversion has already begun. Which is why this long weekend is not to be wasted.
I’ve written before in this column about biophilia and the revitalising connection we have to nature . It’s easy to forget that we humans are part of the natural world, but right now as we look down the barrel of winter, there’s nothing better for our psyches than to get outdoors and reconnect with nature’s rhythms. Exposure to natural light helps regulate our own circadian rhythms , improving sleep and mood.
The crisp air invigorates our senses, awakening appetites for adventure and exploration. The beach in winter might, at first glance, seem desolate and grey, but stop a moment to take in the natural world around you. .
.. Ahh there is the spume, that delicate foam formed by crashing waves, dancing along the shoreline like ethereal lace.
Edging between it, clumps of bull kelp and chains of Neptune’s necklace, or bubble weed as its sometimes called (Hormosira banksia) w.
