Winter is on its way...

It is getting quite chilly here in Kabul. I was out of town last weekend and when I came back it seemed that all the trees shed their leaves while I was away!

Winter requires some preparation here - we put a layer of plasitc on our windows - as makeshift double glazing - and this year I think I will put up both on the inside and outside... We filled an outhouse with wood in September (when the prices were cheaper). I have put down a few extra rugs down which makes it warmer and more homely, as I will be spending more time indoors. The moveable gas heaters and bukharis have come out of storage. I have a wood bukhari in my living room and now it is required to be lit during the day - aswell in the evening.

I enjoy the process of laying a fire - and it always reminds me of my mother - as I remember watching her prepare the fireplace in our living room as a child - she would roll up lengths of newspaper and twist them into rings. On top of these small pieces of kindling would be placed and then lumps of coal. It is technique that I do now (though I use larger pieces of wood instead of the coal) and somehow provides a small connection even though I am so many miles away. There is something satisfying about watching a fire that you have laid take hold - especially without the aid of firelighters, or as the common practice here is - diesel!

Unfortunatley we do not have the luxury of central heating - with its ability to be timed to come on while you are still sleeping.... I am not looking forward to January and February when it becames a struggle to get out of bed in the morning because it is just too cold!