Say no to winter blues!

I thought long and hard about what my subject would be this month. Not only does January contain ‘Blue Monday’, but I always turn a year older, and what with one thing and another in the world of politics, the threat to creativity from AI, and so many other things, there has been much to make a person miserable already. 

 

So, I decided to bring a bit of positivity to you. Firstly, that birthday thing – getting older is a privilege not a curse. Let me instead turn to something which is important in our personal worlds: friendship. If we have just one friend we can rely on, we should be thankful. I have a few who have really stood the test of time – nearly 50 years, in fact. The picture above was taken when I was staying at Wainman House in Wisbech, a beautiful Georgian Mansion. Wisbech itself is not the most exciting of towns and it makes Ipswich look busy and full of shops, but the aim of the stay was for a group of friends to get to get together, all in the same place for the first time in 18 years. At least every Christmas, and for some of us throughout the year, MOST of us school friends and their partners manage a catch-up. Several of us met at Primary School aged 5, so it really is a long-term relationship. This year, our friend who emigrated to Australia nearly 18 years ago, returned for the Christmas period with her husband, so for just a weekend we were all back together for a staycation. 

 

And what can be better than turning the clocks back to the 90s and reliving old memories, joking around, playing some games and indulging in good food and drink with a couple of trips to the local pubs. To top it all, some snow arrived making the whole area look beautiful and sparkling, just like us! 

 

Another great friend who has stood the test of time was with me – my husband, whom I have known for 48 years. I met him when he was just a brand-new baby, being pushed in his pram by his mum. It took us until 2013 to get married, but the universe seemed to intervene, and here we are. 

 

My new book is a sometimes comical, but often dark tale of addiction and thwarted potential, It’s much more brutal and unforgiving than my other books, but proving to be popular with readers. I think that is because at the heart of it are some genuine human friendships that people can relate to. 

 

Friendships change over the years. They can flourish with time, but we need to recognise that people change, and we need to keep friendship fed and watered for it to grow. If the roots are there, friends can be like family, and sometimes better. Friendship can last a lifetime; friendship can sustain and reach around the globe. Look after it. 

 

Here’s a poem for you today in keeping with those thoughts. It is brand new – I wrote it today whilst in the bath!

 

Let me lift you up

 

For all your dark corners,

let me bring light.

Let me bless you with bright dreams

on a dark and restless night.

When you lose your direction,

let me guide you home;

let me walk beside you quietly

when you are alone.

 

For all your missed footsteps,

let me lift you up;

when winter falls cold,

drink summer from my cup.

Let me bring you from the battlefield;

let me sweep away the mines;

let me deftly defuse

your ticking bomb inside.

 

For all you winding caverns,

let me dig deep.

Let me line the path with diamonds

when the road is too steep.

Let me be your safety-rope;

let me join you on your journey

I will wait for your return;

I will keep my home-fires burning.