The dark evenings are coming. Here’s how to make them yours.
Hello, and welcome to November.
The clocks have gone back, the evenings arrive before you’ve finished your tea, and the garden looks like it’s packing up for the winter. It’s easy to read all that as a signal to slow down and stay in. I’d like to suggest something gentler and a bit more stubborn: let the season set the scene, but don’t let it write the whole script.
This month’s newsletter is short and practical. Three small things, one recipe, and a thought to carry through the cold weeks.
Move: get your daylight early
In winter, daylight is the one thing you can’t take for granted, and it matters more than most of us realise. A walk in the morning, even a short one, does a surprising amount of quiet work. It gives your body a clear sense that the day has started, lifts your mood, and makes the evening feel like an evening rather than a long afternoon that never ends.
So, here’s the plan for November: twenty minutes outside before lunch, most days. Wrap up, pick a route with at least one hill, and don’t wait for the weather to be nice. Rain is only water. If your balance is a little wobbly on wet leaves, take a stick or walk with a friend. If you’re not sure about a new level of effort, a word with your doctor first is time well spent.
Plate: the November pantry
This is the time of year for the humble, hardy foods. Beetroot, walnuts, a good olive oil, a bowl of kefir for breakfast, a few prunes in the afternoon. None of them is glamorous. All of them are easy to keep in the house, and together they make a very decent winter table.
Here’s a simple one to try this week.
Roasted beetroot with walnuts and olive oil
- 4 medium beetroot, scrubbed and cut into wedges
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus a little extra to finish
- A handful of walnuts, roughly broken
- A spoonful of plain kefir or yoghurt
- Salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon
Toss the beetroot in the oil, salt and pepper, and roast at 200°C (180°C fan) for about 35 to 40 minutes, until soft at the edges. Scatter over the walnuts for the last five minutes. Serve warm with a spoonful of kefir, a squeeze of lemon, and a drizzle of fresh oil. It goes well with almost anything, and it’s just as good cold the next day.
Mind: pick up something small and new
Long evenings are a gift if you decide they are. Try choosing one thing you’ve been curious about and give it ten minutes a night for the month. A few ideas: learn the first page of a language you’ve always liked the sound of, work out a tune on an instrument, write down one memory a day for your family, or take up a puzzle that’s a notch harder than the one you’ve mastered.
The point isn’t to get good by December. It’s to feel the small, useful discomfort of being a beginner again. That feeling, more than any particular skill, is what keeps a mind lively.
A note on dark days
Some of us feel the shorter days more than others. If you find your mood sinking as the light fades, you’re far from alone. Get outside in the daylight, keep in touch with people, and keep your routine going even when you don’t much feel like it. Many people in the UK are advised to consider a vitamin D supplement over autumn and winter, and your pharmacist or GP can tell you whether that makes sense for you. And if the low feeling doesn’t lift, please talk to someone. It’s a sensible thing to do, not a weakness.
This month’s challenge
Choose one thing from each of these three areas and put it on the fridge:
- Move: a morning walk, twenty minutes, before lunch
- Plate: one new winter dish a week
- Mind: ten minutes a night on something you’re not good at yet
Check in with yourself at the end of the month. Don’t judge it, just notice what’s changed.
A thought to take with you
Remembrance Sunday falls on the 8th this year, and it’s a good moment to think about the people who shaped us, the ones we’ve lost, and the ones still within reach of a phone call. If there’s someone you’ve been meaning to ring, make it this month. Dark evenings go a lot more easily with a bit of company.
Thank you, as always, for reading, listening, and sharing this with your friends. Wrap up warm, and I’ll see you in December.
Kevin
Pure Living After Sixty
From the bookshelf: If you’re enjoying these ideas, my book Thriving After Sixty is available on Amazon. Click the image to access it on Amazon
Listen to the Pure Living After Sixty podcast on Apple Podcasts, Substack or Buzzsprout
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