Winter Wonders

ways to appreciate the winter

Get up early on a bright frosty morning

and take a gentle walk. Inhale the cold fresh air and exhale with every other step and enjoy the stillness and quiet.

Watch an early winter sunset

from your favourite spot and take in the beauty of the light and the changes it makes to everything around you. Light your firepit or chiminea

or start a mini bonfire, wrap up in blankets and enjoy the chilly evening with your favourite people, hot chocolates and campfire snacks.

Go to a local garden centre food shop

or farmers market and get everything you need to make a wholesome winter-warming meal to enjoy with your friends or family.

On the first frosty, chilly day, Find an old baking recipe

to try at home like cinnamon shortbreads, enjoy the smells from the oven as your tasty treats bake. Enjoy one warm and appreciate the moment.

put on your favourite hat and scarf and get out into to nature and capture the splendour around you on camera, flashes of colour, different textures or patterns left by frost on leaves, enjoy the beauty.

Brew your favourite coffee or tea,

wrap yourself up, and take a good book out to the garden.

If you wake up to a truly cold day

go outside and create some beautiful ice art, using things you’ve collected and set them out in water to freeze outdoors to produce stunning frozen ice blocks.

On a brisk clear night wrap up warm

and head out to star gaze, nd possibly see one of the winter Meteor Showers. There are lots of great apps that help identify the different stars you might see.

Go foraging through some woods

for wintery materials like pinecones, twigs and foliage to make some perfect decorations for Christmas or create a centrepiece for your table.

Enjoy a glass of mulled wine or mulled cider

while making something to decorate your home that will make you smile over winter.

Wrap up and head out to

your favourite bookshop or library. Find a new book to spend some time getting lost in it on a cold and wet day, taking comfort from the warm peaceful surroundings.

Pack a flask of homemade soup

and head off to a scenic spot for a warming winter picnic with the people you love spending time with.

Buy a crackling-scented candle

and let it be your company on a cold night at home and enjoy the mood you have created.

Visit your local coffee shop,

order something Christmassy-flavoured, and take a drive to spend time in your favourite outdoor space.

Buy your favourite sweets

from childhood, snuggle up with your family or friends and enjoy a film from your younger days for a heart-warming nostalgic evening.

Try a new slow-cooker soup recipe

to enjoy on a very chilly night with some comforting fresh bread from a local bakery, or bake your own!

Collect the most perfect stone

you can find and spend a few hours creating rock art to leave somewhere on your next walk.

All photographs by Ceridwen Hughes

Head off to a local farm or garden centre

and take inspiration home for your winter garden, from new winter flowers and shrubs to new foods and drinks, there will be plenty to inspire you.

Remember that every season including winter is short,

so take in every moment, because even when it’s cold and damp you can find something beautiful to enjoy before the spring awakens the earth once more.