It's January...

How do you feel about January? When the skies are predominantly grey, and nature seems to have fallen asleep, it is easy to withdraw from the fray whenever possible. Some people , like the Guardian journalist Emma Beddington, wallow in the opportunity to languish , and celebrate January for just that. Who can possibly object to sitting by a roaring log fire on a cold day, or postponing chores because...well...hey it's January! Some people become abstemious and adopt 'Dry January,' or practise veguanuary. That seems rather odd to me , at a time when above all we need to cosset ourselves. Roald Dahl once said ," If I had my way I would remove January from the calendar altogether and have two July's instead." But is that entirely fair? Sometimes January can feel like the most magic month of all.

In the South of France we have our fair share of grey skies, winds and freezing temperatures in January. We may also exceptionally experience snow. But we also enjoy days in January which fill us with hope for the year to come. Today was such a day , when we took our favourite walk to the cirque du bout du monde. Here are some of the photographs I took . It is these sunny winter days, and not the balmy days of summer, that make me glad that I live in this corner of France.

The sky was an azure blue above the cliffs

The mimosa tree was in full bloom in a corner of the church yard.

The olive leaves still shone silvery green amongst the bare winter trees.

The sound of the river accompanied us throughout our walk.

We played with our own long shadows, cast ahead of us by the low winter sun.

So what is my verdict on January? Come fair weather or foul, I'll enjoy it for what it is. But dry January?....Never!