Ramsbottom Online

Hibernation…

So our lovely white Christmas is over and we’re stuck in the deep midwinter. Life has reverted back to its old routine, with the additional pleasures of unheated buses and slippery pavements.

There are two ways of looking at enforced weekend hibernation: you’re stuck indoors, there’s nothing on TV and food shopping is a bit of an ordeal. I personally think its a great time to make plans, like finishing my copy-editing course, thinking about the veggies I want to plant come spring, and getting out more. Working, commuting and all the other necessities in between mean I’ve had a tendency to neglect the social interaction side of things. Being single, particularly when your mates live in Manchester, can lead to you getting into a bit of a rut. Yes, I go out but I’d rather spend my free time here than there.

So I’m going to expand my horizons this year. I knit (badly but enthusiastically) so a knitting group would be good. I may even join a reading group at the library or start an evening class in photography or something.

Our winter landscape is stunning and I’ve tried to get out walking as much as possible. I did a few walks over Christmas with my brother and we stopped off at the church in Irwell Vale. They run a little tea room on Sundays so we went in for hot tea and mince pies. The people there were very friendly and told us about the church itself: the congregation has dwindled and there have been calls to close the place down. However, they’ve managed to get around this by using the hall upstairs for community-related activities such as yoga classes and the photographic society meetings. The room hire is very reasonable at £15 for the first hour and £10 for each hour after that.

So I may well go along and join a class to help support their efforts. If you’re looking for a venue it’s worth getting in touch. In the meantime I’m banishing all thought of heating bills, post-Christmas gloom and fitness regimes. It may well be freezing out there but I’ve found plenty to smile about: eating sausages bought from Tommy Topping, feeding the birds and watching the back yard fill up with starlings, reading several books and seeing my family a lot.

If you know of any friendly gatherings/clubs/groups, feel free to give them a mention. Happy New Year!