Although it’s almost the end of February, here in Prague it’s still pretty gloomy, dark & rainy outside. And from the look of my Instagram feed, I can tell that the UK hasn’t been much luckier in the weather department. It actually looks like it’s been colder over there this year than it has been here! One thing I’ve learned about the weather here in Prague so far is that when it rains, it bloody chucks it down! I’m talking cats and dogs, elephants, donkeys, all sorts. It’s the kind of rain that makes you absolutely soaked, one that you can’t possibly brave without an umbrella. And it’s cold, oh so cold! It almost feels like when you’re standing on the side of the road and a bus speeds past you through a puddle and splashes it all over you. That’s the kind of rain we get here in Prague. And that’s the kind of rain that makes you want to stay at home & just watch those never-ending streams coming down from the sky from the safety of your own bed.
5 THINGS THAT WILL GET YOU THROUGH A MOODY, RAINY DAY
A heart-warming scent
I keep saying that the reason for my abnormally strong sense of smell is my Adrien Brody nose but one way or another – I can smell EVERYTHING. I mean I can smell what kind of fabric softener the guy on the bus is using. Or when was the last time he took a shower. That’s an example of a moment when I’m not particularly grateful for this gift of super smell. But I am indeed very grateful that I can remember the scents of all my favourite perfumes and even childhood memories. To use this to my advantage I like to surround myself with beautiful scents to lift my spirit whenever I’m feeling under the weather. Be it a beautiful perfume or just a lovely, heart-warming candle, the right fragrance can literally transfer you a million miles away into the land of sun and happiness.
Your favourite (not as rainy) memories
Do you remember when I wrote a whole post on the importance of keeping memories? Positive memories have the strongest power over you and if you can remind yourself of all the wonderful moments you’ve spent with your loved ones, or even by yourself when you were really happy, then you will be one happy bean even if it’s chucking it down outside of your window. Recently I’ve rekindled my love for old analogue cameras – photos that you can take with these bad boys are even more precious because you just never know how they’re going to turn out. Are they going to be blurry? Grainy? Have I set the exposure wrong (again?!). And once you have your photos developed you can truly treasure them as one of a kind piece of memory. Wonderful, isn’t it?
Fresh blooms
Another thing I’ve recently discovered are fake flowers from Aliexpress. Not gonna lie, they look so bloomin’ nice that I’ve bought like three bunches already. Of course, they cannot possibly replace the beauty of real blossoms that have soaked in the rays of a thousand suns but these are a pretty decent substitute if you ask me. One of the reasons I haven’t bought any fresh flowers recently is that my apartment in Prague is pretty much one huge room with a kitchenette and a little bedroom. Cookie & Pippin spend their time in the living room whilst I’m at work and to be honest that’s about the only place I could have a vase with fresh flowers. The bedroom is very dark and I haven’t bought much furniture for it yet so that one cabinet and a night table won’t really have enough room on them for a bunch of flowers. These peonies are so pretty, don’t you think?
Finding forgotten treasures
If you’re brave enough to grab your umbrella and run through the rain to your nearest antique shop, flea market (covered, ideally) or a charity shop, then do it. And spend your afternoon rummaging through treasures you didn’t even know existed. I love going to vintage shops and second-hand bookstores because I always imagine all those people that loved those little mementoes they left behind. At one point or another, those seemingly useless bits & bobs had a real meaning to their late owners. I particularly love finding books which have handwritten notes in them or old photographs, especially those little portrait ones which have obviously been given to someone to show the photographed person’s love for them. Those people might have long be gone but their memories are still here in the palm of your hand. It’s kind of like going to the pictures for me – I can see a whole film based on that photo play out in front of my eyes.
The precious furries
They sometimes drive me nuts but I deeply love both of my little rascals. Cookie & Pippin have become members of my little family. They are, in fact, my family. As you can probably tell they are not your average cats. They are the kind of cats that you lovingly hoover with a special vacuum attachment made just for hoovering said cats. Don’t even get me started – cat hoovering is a thing. Just accept it. They are the kind of cats that sleep with you in the bed when it’s rainy outside and when they start starfishing across the whole bed you happily take your blanket and go sleep on the sofa in the living room. There aren’t many things that would make me happier than spending the day in bed surrounded by these little monkies climbing on the top of my head.
How do YOU beat rainy days?