Five Things to do on a Stormy Day

Rain drops on window, with blue sky and trees behind

Have a lie in.  No bright sunshine peeking through the curtains, demanding your attention, reminding you to make the most of the sun while it’s here, to get out on your bike, or go plan a picnic.  Just nestle down in that duvet and enjoy the fact that the day won’t go and be all glorious without you.

Open the window wide.  You might not want to be out in it, but it’s nice to get a face-full of it.  Cold wind on your cheeks and rain on pavement, and you still cosy in your PJs.  Thunderstorms are especially good for this.

Bake gingerbread.  No more light fairy cakes, or strawberries and meringue.  This is weather for cake that sticks to your ribs.  I use the same recipe as my mum and grama, from the same book with the red gingham cover.  It calls for that beautiful red and gold tin of black treacle on the top shelf, with its sticky lid and hint of Christmas.  Yum.

Splash in the puddles.  No day is bad enough to warrant staying indoors (unless you want to of course, and then I can come up with some very good reasons to do just that).  Tom and I got caught on a flooded path round Newtown the other day and had no choice but to run right through it.  Shin-deep in water, kicking up the spray, our whoops and shrieks carried over the water.  We squelched around the rest of our run and embraced our sogginess.

Make luxury hot chocolate.  Mini marshmallows are a stock cupboard staple at this time of year.  Make up a batch of this hot chocolate, and curl up on the couch.  Light a fire and have a nap.  And stuff newspapers in those soaking wet trainers; you might want them again for that rainy run tomorrow.

Bare, stormy trees and mackerel sky

4 thoughts on “Five Things to do on a Stormy Day

    • I had the opposite problem- my American recipe calls for molasses. I figure black treacle is the closest (if not identical?) thing.