Dull days in Beetley

~ beetleypete

Mid-November, and the dull days are here. Not just the weather, though that is dull enough, but also that time of year. The build-up to Christmas, the frantic preparations for something that lasts for two days, before the return to more dullness.

Lacking inspiration to write anything on the blog is indicative of the pervading mood. No desire to take photos of the gloom and damp, and little enthusiasm for much else, to be honest. Even Ollie’s dog-walks are getting shorter, as my heart is not in trudging around in mud during yet another dull autumn.

Lights on just after lunch, and completely dark by 4 pm. Short days with little light, long nights with none at all. Even the glory of the night sky is denied to us, with cloud and fog providing a blanket that obscures all. Leaves cascade down from the oak trees, carpeting the lawn and paths around the house. Another job to face, clearing those. Stuck to shoes and doormats, irritatingly traipsed into the house, the once lush foliage reduced to a constant bind.

As you might have guessed. It is not my favourite time of year.

56 thoughts on “Dull days in Beetley”

    1. Thanks, Lloyd. I really am trying to stay positive, if only because of my pledge. This week has been a struggle though. I feel like I have slipped into a deep sand-pit, and I am unable to scrabble up the side to get out.
      Cheers mate, Pete.

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  4. I feel it, too. It’s the light, or I should say lack there of. New England is farther east than the rest of the US, so it get’s dark at 4:30. When the day is gray and dreary, it compounds the gloom. I’m leaving for work now, in the dark, with rain forecast for the day. Apologies for whining along with you. I guess misery loves company. Best to you, Pete. 🌞

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  8. We have similar weather patterns here in the Pacific NW and can expect lots of rain (and probably snow too) between now and next spring. On the worst of the rainy days that’s all I can see. Still, there are plenty of nice days with clear skies and sunshine interspersed to make it all bearable and even sometimes wonderful! When those sunbreaks happen, it’s worth getting outside and going for that walk. There’s nothing like fresh air and beautiful scenery to lift our spirits! (I know that you know this already, but I am reminding you for Ollie’s sake. 😉 ~ I don’t really like the days getting shorter, but I do like getting the winter sunset shots earlier and also closer to where I live. Anyway, tomorrow’s another day and sunshine in the forecast soon! 🙂

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  9. It just makes me feel so tired Pete. I put that down to the fact that we don’t have a lot of daylight and because of the orientation of my house, very little sunlight either. By 7 pm it feels as though I should be in bed and it is only evening! Christmas doesn’t help either and nor do all those irritating adverts on TV. Feeling distinctly grumpy right now.

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  10. I was hoping that you’d have never a dull moment… As I write this, it’s 4:08 pm, and the sun is setting behind the Spring Mountains. What I don’t like is that by 7:00 or so, you feel the evening must be over, and you begin to think of going to bed. Nevertheless, I push on into the evening, and lately have been staying up until after 2:00 in the morning…writing fiction (or at least trying to).

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  13. It’s grey here at the moment, too, Pete, so I went out and bought some clementines. They are just coming into season and taste delicious. I seem to remember one of the Beirut hostages saying that they were given an orange one day and they spent the next several days just looking at it because its colour made such a change from the blank grey walls that were all they otherwise had to look at. Made me think did that. Being deprived of brightness and colour definitely does something to us.

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    1. Such an interesting comment, Ros. The power of colour and light.
      Julie has just bought a Himalayan Salt Lamp. She plugged it in tonight, and the orange glow pervades the room. Let’s hope it has the same effect.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  14. Oh silly you! We’re all entitled to dumpy days and moods, so silly is fine, but like your responder, ML Kappa said, there’s a lot of positives! I find the gray rain around here (Oregon) to make my other senses sharper. Yeah, I may not go out in it as much, but it’s so pretty. It might be helped by the fact that for us, this darkness and bits of straw and pumpkins and yellow leaves lead up to Thanksgiving, the best real holiday of the year is some ways ‘cuz we can think of what we’re so darn thankful for, instead of whatever else is in our heads. Also, our Thanksgiving is the 4th Thursday of November, so it moves around, which reinforces that it’s overarching; it’s not just some designated calendar date!

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  17. I’ll swop with you Pete. We have lots of sunshine here but it comes with a corrupt and greedy president and a neighbouring state that is in the middle of a military coup. We also have rampant crime. I love the sun but I long for the peacefulness and safety of the UK.

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  20. I tend to disagree. For me the most depressing months are January through March, when you’ve already had enough of winter, and spring still seems far away. Having said that, Greek weather is not the same. It gets dark much later, and I agree the lack of light is depressing. Also we are now in olive-picking season, and what could be nicer than that! Maybe you should plan a little trip? Or try painting, there’s nothing more uplifting than sloshing colours about. Xxx

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  21. I recently filled in a survey and declared November to be the most depressing for me for the very reasons you have highlighted, although as Kerin said mid December and the days get longer again so we are almost over the hill 🙂
    In saying that the sun is shining today, despite the cold, and I have outside jobs a plenty so I’m happy to be able to get on with them, which I’m going back to now 🙂

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  22. When things get dull around here, I wonder what I’ve been looking past. That gets me to recalling my science and putting my camera to take small-close up photos. There’s a whole other world right beneath our noses and it can often be quite interesting.

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