light thaw

I wrote this a week ago. It snowed today, bizarrely, as it was well above freezing. It didn't stick.

There's been a bit of a thaw of late. Aside from the hills to the north, there's no snow to be seen. The cold still lingers though, and there's a dampness to the air that clings to the bones. But there's not been much frost in the mornings and that's something. Some days have been positively mild.

I don't trust thaws. Not until at least April, anyway. This one is no different. Every Sunday spent playing cricket or rugby on the beach has been stolen from the winter, and I've little doubt it will claim them back sooner or later. I've taken the lining out of my jacket and I'll eschew a scarf while I can, but whatever jumper I choose will be thick, of that there's no doubt.

Ideally, I'd run away about now. Key West or Collioure would both be lovely at this time of year (it's a little-known fact that this blog was started on a trip to Key West in January - when I'm famous, that could be valuable trivia). I've seen both in January and they're a damn sight more comfortable than anywhere in Scotland.

Sadly, that's not possible this year. Be it finance, commitment or simply some sense of anchoring, I'll not be travelling far any time soon.

Instead I've got over a year's worth of photos to sort out, many of which show distant shores - some Atlantic, some Pacific. I also have a car that works, which brings the rest of this kingdom closer - never a bad thing.

The photo sorting proves harder as time passes. Every image is either laden with nostalgia and fondness or prompts quizzical reflection. Those things take too much time, and they're a bit distracting. I'd rather linger on shots of Boston in April, California in July and Islay in August than the slate grey of Fife in January or February.

Elsewhere is appealing at the moment, but it isn't an option. So I'll write about here and gaze at images of there and get a little lost somewhere in the middle.