Welcome Winter!

Around 05h30, winter officially arrived in England! Yip- Happy Winter Solstice to all my northern hemisphere friends and happy Summer Solstice to all my southern hemisphere friends ;o) It is the shortest day and longest night of the year. Sunrise this morning was at 08h23 and we will bid the sun goodnight at 15h51 this afternoon. From here on out, our daylight will slowly increase – Yay! It’s quite nice to know when the sun rises and sets in my part of the world. If you are interested in finding what it is in your neck of the woods, you can do so here.

Funny thing is… is that today has been a rather warm and sunny day! We walked up to the village this morning, enjoying the sunshine, peeling off the layers as we walked along the wayside. The sun streamed into the window at the top of the stairs, officially making it my most favourite spot in the house ;o) – I am like a cat, always seeking out some peaceful spot to just be. Sunshine streaming through a window would qualify the spot as ‘peaceful’ in my humble opinion ;o)

The days are slipping by quite peacefully – although I can see that the children are needing to get back into some sort of routine. There has been allot of mooching about today!

  Homespun Christmas gifts are all completed and wrapped up ready for Christmas morn – as are all the gifts for that matter. (I will have to show you after Christmas so they can be modelled by their new little owners).

We plan on driving into Chester on Christmas eve to see the lights. It is the most magical place at Christmas time. As you walk down the streets lined with Tudor buildings, you would be excused for thinking that you had just stepped into another time – another world.

So as we slowly meander our way towards Holy Christmas Day, walking the paths of winter, I want to leave you with my very favourite poem to enjoy.

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening

by Robert Frost

Whose woods are these I think I know.

His house is in the village though;

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer

to stop without a farmhouse near

Between the woods and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake

To ask if there is some mistake.

The only other sounds the sweep

of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep.

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.