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COLUMN: Beating the winter blues

Each year it feels like January gets longer and longer and that the winter will just never end
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Warming up to winter at the Summerland library. (File photo)

I love Summerland. I mean what’s not to like?

The name is a little deceptive though. Let’s be honest, in the depths of winter, it can be difficult to remember what the sun even looks like.

I find February is one of the hardest months of the year, despite the fact that I get to celebrate my birthday that month.

Each year it feels like January gets longer and longer and that the winter will just never end.

By February we have contracted every cough, cold and virus known to man and even some hitherto unknown varieties. How then do we survive until spring?

Some years I will cheat and just hop on a plane and head south in desperate need of those glorious rays of sunshine.

If that’s not an option then I feel the need to make the most of what precious daylight there is. This can be hard when you don’t ski, or indeed enjoy any winter sport.

Hurtling down the side of a mountain whilst relying on my own sense of balance is a recipe for disaster.

One thing I would love to try is snowshoeing. For someone who regularly trips over their own feet, it seems like a less treacherous option.

I have tried cross-country skiing and spent the majority of my time falling and trying to get back up, it was not my finest moment. Snowshoeing looks like it might be a good fit for me.

I do find that taking up any new activity can be difficult though. Unless there is an introductory course offered then where do you even begin?

Luckily we live in a vibrant community full of groups that participate and share a love of all kinds of leisure activities.

Come to the library to meet our knitters and crocheters, pop over to the Arts Centre to get involved with the painters or sign-up with the Summerland Singers and Players to tread the boards and flex your acting muscles.

If there isn’t a local group for your desired activity then never fear the library is here to help. We have beginner guides for a wide range of activities.

You could try fencing using Fencer’s Start Up by Doug Werner or amaze your friends with beautifully decorated cakes by reading Fun with Frosting by Kimberly Callard or why not immortalize the beautiful Okanagan scenery by learning photography with The Beginner’s Photography Guide by Chris Gatcum.

I’m not a person who likes to wish the days away. I want to make the most of every second. So as much as I may long for the lazy, hazy days of summer I need to use every day to the fullest, learning a new skill seems like to the perfect way to pass the time until the sun comes out to play again.

Adele Meadow is an Assistant Community Librarian at the Summerland Branch.