Today hubs came out with me for a walk.
“Are you wearing your long johns?” he asked.
Well, I’m English and long johns are part of my underwear from December until May… about.
My mother used to tell us,
“Ne’er cast a clout ’til May be out…!”
As a child my thermal undies would sometimes get a bit hot during late Spring, until I discovered, from my boarding school friends, that the ‘May’ referred to could also be the Hawthorne tree whose blossom adds a touch of fragrant colour in late April/early May and is also called, predictably, May.
In other words the little English proverb could be meaning, wait until the Hawthorne blooms before casting off your bloomers… not until the beginning of June!
I do wrap up to go out and in the process add some poundage to keep the cold wind at bay!
Three layers of leg coverings, matched with three layers of body insulation, each layer carefully tucked in…your mother made you tuck everything in didn’t she? It keeps out the draughts, but makes visiting the loo an ordeal that is not helped by urgency!
On top of this lot goes a large jacket (no wonder all my mother’s winter coats were a size larger than her Spring and Summer wardrobe), topped with a scarf, a hat and finally gloves. Each one of my coats has a pair of gloves in the pockets, my mother’s had tissues! Like hubs her nose must have run in the cold…
During our walks we warm up although our faces are still braced by the icy wind.
Today hubs was in so much pain he claimed his sinuses were freezing!
“Remember those freeze brains we used to get on hot summer days from drinking an overly cold drink to cool down?” I asked.
“Yes,” he said, “what about them?”
“Is that how your face feels?” he nodded.
“Does it hurt?” I persisted, he nodded again.
“Because it’s killing me!” I laughed! He hit my arm, playfully…it’s an inside joke.
“We need to get home and have a nice hot cup of something to warm us up from the inside,” I said as I steered us across the open spaces of the golf course into the North wind.
“Are you wearing your long johns?” I asked and looked over to see frozen droplets on my beloved’s face, the wind was having fun with mucus.
He had wrapped his scarf around his head and was not daring to open his mouth for fear of freezing his teeth, he darted a painful look in my direction.
I don’t think he’ll be joining me again in a hurry, long johns or not, until the May tree is out.
Well hello there! My name is Vivienne McNeny.
I am an empty nester exploring life as a Boomer…you could say I'm happily Boomering along!
As a homeschooling Mum I have finally quit the job of role model and mentor to my four children. I do what I want to do, eat when I feel like it, enjoy life with my blue eyed cowboy and clean my house once a month or so whether it needs it or not!
In true English form I write about the emergence of my true identity now that I can no longer hide behind my children as their Mum.
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