Getting a haircut in the middle of winter is never a good idea (especially just before a snow trip), but it had to be done.

The cold weather leaves me tempted to stay in bed all day, to not get up at all. But it had to be done.

Oh well, it may not be enjoyable, but the cold and rain at least wake you up in the morning once you’re out in it.

Living in the western world in the 21st century, many of us are protected from the elements, cocooned from anything above or below 20 degrees C by our houses with thermostats and our cars. But being out in the weather makes you feel so alive.

One of my fondest memories is from my early twenties, one Sunday summer afternoon we caught outside without transport in the depths of suburbia, when it started pissing down rain. Warm rain.

Rather than run for shelter, we just kept walking and talking, our clothes getting steadily more drenched. It helped spark the conversation, heightened the senses.

Not that I’d advocate never carrying an umbrella or a raincoat, or leaving the heating turned off permanently. But you don’t need to go bungee jumping to feel alive — sometimes the simple little things in life can help get the senses tingling.