Winter Wait

Winter Solstice, which will occur early tomorrow morning, is the ‘dead’ of winter.  The hiatus when the sun reaches its furthest point, then light slowly starts to increase, and life slowly starts to return to the earth.  The coldest time is yet to come, and when it’s here increasing light reminds us that summer too will come.

This is time for seasonal rose pruning – leaving plants bare to prepare for summer growth.  Autumn leaves have been raked away to become compost and mulch ( or in the case of my walnut tree, stowed in the green Council bin to be dealt with elsewhere).  There’s a sense of preparation, of waiting.  What will spring bring?  For me, there’s the expectation of a visit from a distant daughter.  What hopes are you nurturing for spring?

“Sun standing still provides the reason
to celebrate our Solstice season.”

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Winter Woollies

Minus one degree was the temperature when I left home yesterday morning.  The sun shone above heavy frost.

Frost in Latimer Square

I was bundled up with coat, scarf, hat, gloves, and boots, but my fingers and cheeks were still cold.  My fine leather gloves are insufficient for this level of cold, and I need to find some warmer ones.  It occurred to me that I’d be better off wearing a balaclava, but I don’t fancy the army surplus stores type, neither do I want to look like Pussy Riot:

If I want a pink or purple balaclava I think I’d have to knit it, and by the time I’d finished it would probably be summer.  I guess I’ll just stick to the warm scarf and beanie.

“A balaclava might be good
or would it be misunderstood?”

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Winter Warmth

After warm sunny Easter days the temperature dropped to a daily high of 14 degrees, a nasty shock to the system.  On Friday night we put on the heater and the electric blanket for the first time.  When I woke up on Saturday morning a certain small animal had insinuated himself between us in the bed, half under the duvet.  This surely shows that winter is close.

Cosy Cat

“As winter comes we snuggle in
with bedclothes pulled up to the chin.”

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Global warming?

The temperature reached twenty degrees today.  That’s amazing considering that we are only two days from the winter solstice and the last few weeks have been very wet.  Having a warm sunny Saturday is a real bonus.

Drying the washing by the river

 A couple of travellers in a van took advantage of the nor-wester and hung their washing out by the river.

“A warm and sunny winter’s day
brought lots of people out to play.”

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