Surviving the winter blues - Tip # 3
Today’s surviving the winter blues tip is:
Do a summer activity in winter!
Okay I have to admit winter in Sydney is mild (very mild) compared to our friends in the Northern Hemisphere but this tip is still possible for you guys too and I would love to hear some ideas from those of you who live in that region.
I’ve heard that in Finland there is a tradition of the ‘snow sauna’ where you hop into a steaming sauna (preferably butt naked) and then run out into snow and jump into an icy lake. Sounds invigorating!
Manly beach yesterday…so many people out and about walking and swimming.
Well there were plenty of people out and about at Manly Beach, yesterday. There were walkers and yes there was actually quite a few people in the water. The sea temperature in Sydney at the moment is 19.3 degrees Celsius (66.8 degrees F) and apparently September is the month when the sea temperature dips to it’s lowest maximum temp . I didn’t brave the water but my son did !
My family are drawn to the ocean regardless of the seasons (they are water babies) and there are several times during winter that we go for a drive to the beach. Because it makes us HAPPY! The sound of the waves crashing, seagulls fighting, children screaming in delight…..it doesn’t get much better than that. It kind of feels like we are engaged in a summer activity even though we are wearing more clothes :) I can’t tell you the amount of times my children ask when we’re moving to the beach?? Sigh…..one day
Manly Beach in mid winter.
We don’t always visit the northern beaches of Sydney, now that we are living in the Inner West we tend to drive over to Bondi, Bronte or Clovelly. But Manly holds a special place in our hearts. Cam & I used to go there a lot before we were married and there’s a spot on the walk from Manly Beach to Shelley Beach where Cam got down on one knee and proposed to me (close to 26 years ago now).
The walk from Manly Beach to Shelly Beach - Fairy Bower Pool
This is pretty close to the view where Cam proposed to me……almost 26 years ago now.
It’s amazing how just a couple of hours by the ocean is enough to replenish our souls. This is a beautiful way that our family can spend some time together in nature during winter.
What are some other summer activities that you do in winter to keep those winter blues away?
I’d love to hear your ideas, in the comments below!
Some inspiring quotes about the ocean
“When anxious, uneasy and bad thoughts come, I go to the sea, and the sea drowns them out with its great wide sounds, cleanses me with its noise, and imposes a rhythm upon everything in me that is bewildered and confused.”
“At the beach, life is different. Time doesn’t move hour to hour but mood to moment. We live by the currents, plan by the tides, and follow the sun.”
“It is an interesting biological fact that all of us have in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears.
We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea—whether it is to sail or to watch it—we are going back from whence we came.”
“The sea does not reward those who are too anxious, too greedy, or too impatient. One should lie empty, open, choiceless as a beach—waiting for a gift from the sea.”
“I could never stay long enough on the shore; the tang of the untainted, fresh, and free sea air was like a cool, quieting thought”
