Our friendly chirpy garden robin watching me hang out my bedsheets on the line this morning - singing away, reminding me to put his worms out! Trying to make the most of the winter sun to dry my washing maybe wishful thinking! 🙏🏻
My interest began during the first lockdown in 2020: walking to work in a morning, with no traffic and no manmade noise and only the sounds of nature, was just exquisite.
Our first frost here in Hucknall, Notts.... a blackbird growing in confidence sitting outside our kitchen door waiting for his breakfast.... lots of torrential rain punctuated by beautiful, crisp starlit nights and early mornings (when i open my front gate at 5:20 to be greeted by the magnificent view of Orion in the southwest).... and today a bright, clear winter blue sky, a low sun turning the unfallen leaves of our silver birch on fire. Oh and clouds on fire at sunset glimpsed from a bus window.
My crab apples are still intact, and actually usually last quite deep into winter when I think the frost finally turning them a bit mushy combines with everything else running out. It pigeons here that eat them though.
I know that excellent feeling of doing the cake ON TIME...but I've decided not to make things that I can't help myself eating. I'm generally not fussed about cake unless it has heft - Victoria sponge is my idea of hell. A brownie or something like Christmas cake is very different and I have little off switch. After a long time on the planet the penny has finally dropped that eating too much even of something I love and feeling lardy makes me unhappy, so no making of Christmas cake for me but I might get to enjoy someone else's when I pop round. So, get the kettle on on Boxing Day, yeah
‘Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels’ - Mark Diacono
The problem with Christmas cake always is that you generally don’t cut it until the day, and that is the same day that you start to feel a bit ‘ugh ok enough is enough…’ BUT there is nothing like it for ballast on wintery walks and I am always gutted if I don’t make one as bought ones are rubbish. Mine is smaller than I have made in the past. A compromise.
I suspect you, Lia Compromise Leendertz, have the off switch I lack when it comes to certain festive items. I leave a knife alongside the ham in the fridge, the big spoon in the trifle etc.
No hope of a frost here in the south coast yet, even in the weald my parents have only had one.
I too went seaweed noticing on the storm strewn beach, the odd crab and oyster shell in there too.
But my highlight has to be a walk in some woods yesterday, it seems that finally we are getting proper colour and leaf fall, the sky was lit by the few golden sweet chestnut leaves still hanging on while the floor was carpeted with oak, beech and birch leaves. At one point on a narrow fence lined footpath between fields the piles of oak leaves enabled proper leaf kicking through 30cm of oak leaves! Such joy!
We sneaked away to beautiful Wales again last weekend in the rain. Part of the ‘reset’ agenda for the trip was to visit the beech trees we have come to know and love. I like to think that they are as pleased to see me, as I am them!
This was also the week I noticed the blackbird. His warning call to a neighbours cat even made my dog stop and stare. We have been serenaded by his melodic song every morning since.
The stormy winds earlier in the week churned up the seabed depositing huge mounds of glossy brown seaweed onto the sand, some were 5ft high.
The trees are breathtaking at the moment, their silhouette against the orange glow of sunrise and their golden carpet of fallen leaves lift my spirits even on the darkest days. Hello from the North East coast x
I made my Christmas pudding on stir up Sunday! I've never made it before, so I'm feeling a mixture of smug and nervous about unwrapping it on Christmas Day...
Re: beeches, we were out picking sloes in the Borders a couple of weeks ago and the beech leaves were extraordinary then, you've made me want to revisit and see how they're looking now!
What a busy week in my garden, we have had one proper frost so far which made the carpet of leaves in my garden look even more spectacular. The hedgehog has stopped eating it’s food so maybe it is in the hedgehog house, I will continue to put out small amounts of food as I believe they sometimes wake from hibernation to top up on food. The squirrel, although he now has a friend, has been busy burying nuts and rearranging my bulbs. Never sure until spring what is going to come up where. All the regular birds are filling themselves up on nuts, seeds and fat balls to keep warm. Nice to see the starlings are back and the wren who until this year has only been an occasional visitor has been every day. All observed from my kitchen window through the early morning mist.
I love the idea of your squirrels doing a bit of replanting! Wonderful to have so much going on even at this time of year. And that sounds like a very well cared for hedgehog.
Up in beautiful Lancashire for a few days. Stunning black silhouettes of trees against the sky, up on the hills, leaves all gone. A choir singing carols at a Christmas market in Lancaster - I’m not at all religious, but it brought tears to my eyes. The Holly and the Ivy and In the Bleak Midwinter and I’d gone... And a murmuration of starlings at the end of Blackpool north pier, closed down for the winter, the sun setting over the sea.
Oh I find in the bleak midwinter ridiculously moving too, and yes am often moved to tears by carols, likewise entirely non religiously. There’s something about them.
While walking my son to school one morning, I delighted in a gorgeous frost here in Wisconsin, so delicate and fine, like someone had painted the edges of every blade of grass and leaf and pinecone with the tiniest fairy paintbrush. It truly felt like winter had arrived.
It’s funny how even though I wanted to document the gloom, in doing so what I noticed was that there were many breaks in it. I suspect this will change though (and particularly for those of us who live in north wales, sorry…!)
My chrysanthemums are still flowering - rusty orange, deep red and bright white! (Only just read your piece & comments on xanths from a few weeks ago)
Beautiful! Aren’t they amazing for that. The end of November!
Our friendly chirpy garden robin watching me hang out my bedsheets on the line this morning - singing away, reminding me to put his worms out! Trying to make the most of the winter sun to dry my washing maybe wishful thinking! 🙏🏻
We have one that sits on our front garden fence, watching us through the living room window, chirping away.
My interest began during the first lockdown in 2020: walking to work in a morning, with no traffic and no manmade noise and only the sounds of nature, was just exquisite.
I think they are very territorial, and in fact quite vicious! So I reckon it’s most likely to be the same one as they don’t like to share.
Our first frost here in Hucknall, Notts.... a blackbird growing in confidence sitting outside our kitchen door waiting for his breakfast.... lots of torrential rain punctuated by beautiful, crisp starlit nights and early mornings (when i open my front gate at 5:20 to be greeted by the magnificent view of Orion in the southwest).... and today a bright, clear winter blue sky, a low sun turning the unfallen leaves of our silver birch on fire. Oh and clouds on fire at sunset glimpsed from a bus window.
Oh this is lovely! I still haven’t heard our blackbird yet, and we definitely have one as he builds a nest in our hedge every spring. Hope he’s ok.
My crab apples are still intact, and actually usually last quite deep into winter when I think the frost finally turning them a bit mushy combines with everything else running out. It pigeons here that eat them though.
One evening this week, I noticed the little droplets of rain on our garden door were ‘sparkling’ against the blackness outside, it was so pretty ☺️
That is really lovely. If you can find beauty in rain and a dark night, you’re doing alright I reckon.
I know that excellent feeling of doing the cake ON TIME...but I've decided not to make things that I can't help myself eating. I'm generally not fussed about cake unless it has heft - Victoria sponge is my idea of hell. A brownie or something like Christmas cake is very different and I have little off switch. After a long time on the planet the penny has finally dropped that eating too much even of something I love and feeling lardy makes me unhappy, so no making of Christmas cake for me but I might get to enjoy someone else's when I pop round. So, get the kettle on on Boxing Day, yeah
‘Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels’ - Mark Diacono
The problem with Christmas cake always is that you generally don’t cut it until the day, and that is the same day that you start to feel a bit ‘ugh ok enough is enough…’ BUT there is nothing like it for ballast on wintery walks and I am always gutted if I don’t make one as bought ones are rubbish. Mine is smaller than I have made in the past. A compromise.
I suspect you, Lia Compromise Leendertz, have the off switch I lack when it comes to certain festive items. I leave a knife alongside the ham in the fridge, the big spoon in the trifle etc.
Fine, I’ll save you one (1) piece.
*does YAY big hands*
No hope of a frost here in the south coast yet, even in the weald my parents have only had one.
I too went seaweed noticing on the storm strewn beach, the odd crab and oyster shell in there too.
But my highlight has to be a walk in some woods yesterday, it seems that finally we are getting proper colour and leaf fall, the sky was lit by the few golden sweet chestnut leaves still hanging on while the floor was carpeted with oak, beech and birch leaves. At one point on a narrow fence lined footpath between fields the piles of oak leaves enabled proper leaf kicking through 30cm of oak leaves! Such joy!
Wonderful! I have not found a thick drift to kick through yet.
We sneaked away to beautiful Wales again last weekend in the rain. Part of the ‘reset’ agenda for the trip was to visit the beech trees we have come to know and love. I like to think that they are as pleased to see me, as I am them!
Aren’t they beautiful. Hope you had a very effective reset.
First frost in fairfield, connecticut ❄️
Thank you! Lovely to hear from across the pond.
This was also the week I noticed the blackbird. His warning call to a neighbours cat even made my dog stop and stare. We have been serenaded by his melodic song every morning since.
The stormy winds earlier in the week churned up the seabed depositing huge mounds of glossy brown seaweed onto the sand, some were 5ft high.
The trees are breathtaking at the moment, their silhouette against the orange glow of sunrise and their golden carpet of fallen leaves lift my spirits even on the darkest days. Hello from the North East coast x
Ah thank you for a coastal update! Nothing like a winter storm by the sea…I’m jealous.
I made my Christmas pudding on stir up Sunday! I've never made it before, so I'm feeling a mixture of smug and nervous about unwrapping it on Christmas Day...
Re: beeches, we were out picking sloes in the Borders a couple of weeks ago and the beech leaves were extraordinary then, you've made me want to revisit and see how they're looking now!
First frost here in Edinburgh too 😊
Ah the third frost in the comments! So interesting, as it feels pretty mild way down here in Bristol. Everything crossed for your pud…
What a busy week in my garden, we have had one proper frost so far which made the carpet of leaves in my garden look even more spectacular. The hedgehog has stopped eating it’s food so maybe it is in the hedgehog house, I will continue to put out small amounts of food as I believe they sometimes wake from hibernation to top up on food. The squirrel, although he now has a friend, has been busy burying nuts and rearranging my bulbs. Never sure until spring what is going to come up where. All the regular birds are filling themselves up on nuts, seeds and fat balls to keep warm. Nice to see the starlings are back and the wren who until this year has only been an occasional visitor has been every day. All observed from my kitchen window through the early morning mist.
I love the idea of your squirrels doing a bit of replanting! Wonderful to have so much going on even at this time of year. And that sounds like a very well cared for hedgehog.
Up in beautiful Lancashire for a few days. Stunning black silhouettes of trees against the sky, up on the hills, leaves all gone. A choir singing carols at a Christmas market in Lancaster - I’m not at all religious, but it brought tears to my eyes. The Holly and the Ivy and In the Bleak Midwinter and I’d gone... And a murmuration of starlings at the end of Blackpool north pier, closed down for the winter, the sun setting over the sea.
Oh I find in the bleak midwinter ridiculously moving too, and yes am often moved to tears by carols, likewise entirely non religiously. There’s something about them.
While walking my son to school one morning, I delighted in a gorgeous frost here in Wisconsin, so delicate and fine, like someone had painted the edges of every blade of grass and leaf and pinecone with the tiniest fairy paintbrush. It truly felt like winter had arrived.
My seasonal moment was the haunting smell of wood smoke on a chilly evening.
Ah that is two frosts in the comments! Nothing here, but bristol is pretty mild. Will be interesting to see if we’re behind everyone else.
It’s funny how even though I wanted to document the gloom, in doing so what I noticed was that there were many breaks in it. I suspect this will change though (and particularly for those of us who live in north wales, sorry…!)