Thursday 29.12.2016

Not a patch of snow left anywhere,all greens and browns as far as the eye could see, a mild(ish) breeze wafting the scent of pine about and a sky full of golds and greys and blues and whites...and then......later on...U.F.O.s......

Wednesday 28.12.2016

No dramatic meteorological events today....and yet... and yet. Overcast but with glimpses of blue, a brisk breeze, the light muted as the sun began to sink below the horizon. One kind of typical winters day then: the freshly turned-over soil a rich brown, all kinds of green with patches of snow still lying, a day for throwing back the shoulders, taking deep breaths and walking a bit faster....
...and then as we came down the hill, the sun having finally disappeared behind us in a blaze of gold, the sky ahead of us - to the north in fact - began to turn a pale pink, a prelude to a crimson finale that spread across the whole sky as if to demonstrate there is no such thing as an "ordinary" day.

Tuesday 27.12.2016

Love the British climate - one day a zephyr, the next snow and a baltic blast and today - a lilting breeze, a smidgen of real warmth in the sun (though snow still lying in the shade) and the birds in the woods emerging from wherever they were hiding yesterday and tweeting away as if spring were just around the corner.......and contented sheeps on the neeps ....wonder what tomorrow will bring :)

Monday 26.12.2016

Still blowing a hooley but today it`s an icy blast: normal service has been resumed for Boxing Day on our Scottish hillside.....

Sunday 25.12.2016

It`s proper windy when even the trees in the middle of the woods are thrashing about. So yes, very windy as we set off at about quarter to one but also very sunny

and ridiculously mild as we did an extra loop to extend the walk - one of those "could-have-walked-to-John`o`Groats" days.....sweeping away cobwebs, restoring spirits towards the end of this weird, absurd year (R.I.P. Rick Parfitt) and.... enjoying the fact that someone else was cooking the Christmas Meal....

Having read and loved A Boy Called Christmas by Matt Haig a few weeks ago, all other books are on hold for the reading of the sequel - The Girl Who Saved Christmas over the next few days. Full of proper magic and hope...Merry Crimbo!

Wednesday 21.12.2016

Thought we might have left it a tad late, setting off at quarter to three, up the road into a bitter wind and the sun just disappearing behind the trees.
In the woods though, as so often, a different world, sheltered and calm, just the tops of the trees catching the wind and coveys of pheasants taunting Dog 2 while Dog 1 looked on sceptically, though even she was tempted to chase after the deer that jumped out in front of us.

And by the time we emerged, turning down the road towards home, the wind had dropped,the sky was clear,the temperature had plummeted and in the fading light it definitely felt like the first day of winter: no feasts, no sacrifices,no dancing naked round standing stones (in these temperatures?!) but we have got the Christmas Tree in and decorated, keeping the dark at bay. :)

Sunday 18.12.2016

It`s continued to feel more like late autumn all week, today (only three days short of the winter solstice) practically spring-like as the temperatures "soared" to about 15 degrees in the midday sun, the birds started scrapping for territory and the geese appeared to be wheeling round and heading back north....apart from the lone one that flew overhead as we were coming back down the road.....why do lone geese look lost when a lone crow looks purposeful?

Anyway - if it weren`t for the low trajectory of the sun and the quality of the light it could all get quite confusing.
Beautifully calm, pastel skies

and mysterious patches of mist,

only the silhouettes a clue to the actual season.

And here`s a book recommendation: try The Tobacconist by Robert Seethaler. Not that long, quite quirky and scarily relevant for our times............
And while we`re on books for our times, this one should be compulsory..... The bone sparrow by Zana Fraillon.

Friday 9.12.2016

So the sparkly frosty stuff is all well and good but mild days have more than their own wintry beauty as noted in the last post. Today, not quite as mild as the barmy, never mind balmy, temperatures of Wednesday (16 degrees!), was nevertheless one type of winter landscape at its best. The grey clouds created a subdued light which somehow served to intensify the greens and browns, the air was still and redolent with woodsy, mushroomy scents and other things that were driving the dogs crazy with joy and sending them dashing in and out of the undergrowth in a futile attempt to catch something.

As we turned for home the copper coloured leaves that lay beneath the beech trees were suddenly illuminated by the sun which had made a brief appearance, sinking beneath the cloud and hovering on the horizon long enough to send out shafts of pale silvery light between the trees and across the path. Hard to explain but for a second or two it felt like the planet had stopped turning and was just taking stock of itself........

And once back we were treated to a finale of coral pink sky before it was time to light the fire and get in to a bit of hygge.