With the arrival of spring it's time to look back over winter, but first a quick digression - when did meteorological seasons become a thing?

It's only over the past few years that I've been hearing about meteorological seasons (it's not wholly beyond the realms of possibility that I've just had my head in the clouds for years  - no pun intended - and just not noticed).

I've always followed the astronomical seasons and for some reason become disproportionately annoyed when people say 'hello spring' on March 1st.

It's. Not. Spring.

I can't imagine many people get annoyed by such a thing, but it niggles me. Isn't it nicer to be guided by the stars than by the weatherman?

Anyway, for winter I set myself a few goals, incorporating some of my resolutions. Winter was very much about taking it easy, staying home, hibernating and planning.

1. Read 12 books
I'm pleased with the amount I managed to read over winter. When I originally typed '12' I thought it was unlikely that I'd succeed. In the end I read 14 and I'm almost half way through my 15th, which means I'm nicely on track to meet my target of 29 before my next birthday.

2. Plan my greenhouse growings
I have packets of spring onions - two varieties, salad leaves - two packets for staggered planting, garlic chives, thyme, and climbing peas waiting to be planted and nurtured (and in the case of the peas, picked and eaten straight from the plant - pod and all).

3. Make home improvements
This didn't really happen. I've done a lot of decluttering but no actual DIY. I do have lots of plans for the spring though - which is a much better time of year to tackle home improvements.

4. Mend
With a sewing pile on the verge of toppling over I decided to dedicate a weekend to making alterations but got side tracked by a book. I have a hankering to wear my maxi skirt again so I'm certain I'll get the sewing machine out soon to repair the hem.

5. Felt
I spent a pleasant afternoon teaching my friend the basics of needle felting. I started her on a pumpkin, which is the first thing I ever made too. Within days she'd posted a picture on Facebook of a hare kit she'd bought and felted. She's hooked just like everyone else who gives it a go.

6. Veggie meals
I earmarked a couple of meals that took my fancy and added them to my meal plan - Lentil Chili, Spinach Lasagna, and Veggie Burritos. The Lentil Chili was much nicer than I expected it to be and I've already cooked it three times. The lasagna was rather dull, every mouthful was the same and I couldn't help but think that it would be vastly improved with the addition of some beef mince. The Veggie Burritos were delicious, full of flavour - something that I'll definitely be cooking again.

7. Do stuff
This was simply a promise to myself to make plans for my weekends instead of drifting through them, feeling like I was doing nothing much at all. It's worked well, some weekends have been full of going out, doing things, ticking things off my to-do list, others I planned to simply relax with a good book. Either way I feel like I'm making more of my weekends.

How has your winter been?