Longing for Vitamin D

I feel like I haven't seen the sun for days.

My office looks out onto a central courtyard, but the surrounding buildings are high and close so it is hard to see the sky at all, unless you clamber past the printer, over the rubbish bin, and peer hopefully upwards. Normally I walk to work and, I'll admit, did catch a few welcome morning rays slanting down through the trees of St. James' Park on Monday and Tuesday, but this morning I crammed onto the bus from Oval as I'd stayed at M's. Even getting off a stop early to walk across the brown, swirling River Thames didn't provide me with much joy as the sky was grey and overcast. I have finished late every night so far this week, so whilst others may still be able to catch a bit of daylight (retreating as it is) if they leave the office at 5pm, I've come home each day in darkness. I don't mind too much, cold, dark nights spent warm indoors with a good book/DVD/board game/craft project/loved one (delete as appropriate) are one of my favourite things about the colder seasons, but I do like a bit of sun. Peonies' post today reminded me how a good bit of natural light can make everything seem that little bit more tolerable.

I photographed the cyclamen on my bedroom windowsill on Sunday afternoon, and on Monday took it in with me to work to sit on my desk. I have spent the last few days pausing occasionally to admire its almost translucent petals, delicately tipped with a darker pink and imagine I am in a woodland somewhere in green wellington boots, mushrooms sprouting from fallen logs and hundreds of these beauties pushing up amongst the trees. I don't imagine the poor thing will last long with such limited availability of natural light, but maybe I'll buy another and rotate them, one week in the office, one week on a windowsill at home.

Maybe I could buy another me and rotate us too, one week in the office, one recuperating? Now there's a thought...