Heartily Over Winter.

As of today, 3 August 2016, I would like to announce that I am fed up with the cold, the wet, and the wind. I am sitting at my trusty laptop, enveloped in multiple layers of clothing, which does not improve my lack of neck and cramps my freedom of movement considerably. The tile fire is pumping out heat, the house is sealed to within an inch of its life and most of the inhabitants of the House that Rocks are gathered in the glow of our living room.

I am tired of sprinting to the loo in the wee hours of the morning and returning to our bed masquerading as a short, round ice cube. Then I lie awake, wrapping myself around the beacon of warmth that is my beloved husband, unable to sleep until I thaw out. Inevitably, Michael will then make his own dash to the smallest room, persuade his willy to leave the safety of his body to do his duty and return as rapidly as possible to our cosy cocoon. When he uses me as his hot water bottle.

Most of all, I am completely unimpressed by grey. Like Billy Connolly describing "beige", I long for colour in the sky, the sun on my face and not having to turn on the house lights half way through the afternoon. Mornings are becoming marginally brighter but the temperature is usually a prohibitive measure to actually exiting our bed.

And showers are just not that hot. We haven't used the cold tap for months. At least we don't have as rugged an issue as my good friend and Beautician to the Stars, Linda. Her water pipes were the antithesis of hot yesterday. they froze. Having to use the kettle, the camping shower and a bucket bath was definitely not her idea of fun.

There is one way to successfully become warm. Cram masses of bodies into a finite space, preferably with a roaring heat source. We were lucky enough to experience this combination today. A substantial number of the Scotch College Ladies Auxillary arrived to take Beverley by storm. At one stage, about forty or fifty ladies were all present in the East End Gallery, enjoying the fire, the atmosphere and our art pieces. Thank you to the Beverley Agricultural Society for the loan of the urn. Tea and coffee were enjoyed and a determined circle of some of the ladies made themselves toasty by our Gallery fire. An absolute blast was had by all.

Next Wednesday, I suspect that we will have similar conditions. My fearless friend, Stacey Dowding, co-ordinator extraordinaire at the Greendale Community Centre, will be bringing her merry band of seniors for their second visit to the East End Gallery. If their last trip is any indication, we will have about thirty oldies in the Gallery for morning tea and a browse, before they retire to lunch at one of the pubs. Frail and retiring, they are not.

And tomorrow is Artists' Group in the Gallery. Occasions like this always bring happiness, chasing the gloomy chills away. Not to mention our fireplace lit up like a battleship.

Before you know, we'll be complaining about the heat!

...and the wind is soaring!

Dressing to face the great outdoors...

and how I look...

Relatively warm on my birthday...in mid-winter...

but not warm waiting for the Prospector (even though it was actually sunny)

and luckily there were no brass monkeys in the vicinity whilst we were in Kalgoorlie!

Ooh look, our fireplace in the East End Gallery.