Week 3/2024

Pink grass | Crow corner | Sarcococca

Hello!

Winter truly arrived this week, here anyway. In my January catch up video (you can watch it here) I was talking about not wanting to rush through winter, about making myself stop searching for the signs of spring and sink into winter instead. And then the weather has come along and kind of enforced that. It is so cold! But stunning here.

In this weekly post I start off by revisiting your comments from last week, and turning them into a sort of seasonal poem, and in this way we track the seasons as they change, week by week, inch by inch. It is an exercise in being in the moment, and noticing how particular it is. You can join in next week’s by leaving a comment yourself, everyone is welcome.

A couple of themes emerged last week, as they often do. So many of you are ill or recovering, and several of you mentioned feeling low too, with the January blues. I hope the slow return of the light helps to lift spirits, but also wish you lots of cosy winter cosseting and rest. The other theme is that everyone is watching The Traitors, apparently!

Oh and I have to mention that the comments again contain a bear, in an entirely different part of the world to last week’s bear. I just feel this should be remarked upon.

Here’s your Week 2:

Cramming little pots of tete a tete narcissus and freshly emerging hyacinths into my supermarket trolley

Ice skating late Wednesday evening when the field partly froze over, and hot chocolate afterwards

A surprise snowfall with snowflakes so big they landed on my face without melting

The return of the starling squad to our replenished bird feeder

Eating the last slice of Christmas cake while watching ‘The Traitors’ - very "early January" energy I think

With the Christmas decorations down and everything feeling bare, I set up areas in the house ready for Deep Winter and wintering practices - sitting, reading, think, listening to music and knitting. Scented candles, reed diffusers, tiny twinkling tea lights and a sheepskin to add layers

The sweet scent and colour of mimosa from the florists filling our kitchen [my favourite scent in the whole world, and VERY January, I must find some - Ed.]

Back to school colds and coughs, more antibiotics, and a bit of the January blues this week. Snuggling under blankets with some good tv

Sentinel trees against steely skies

Low mental health cheered by cheerful pink catkins on my Japanese willow, nearly all the winter bulbs showing themselves above soil level, and flocks of goldfinches and other birds draining my seed feeders in a matter of hours

Finding glassy, unbroken puddles and crunching them

Amaryllis in flower on the kitchen windowsill

Looming mountains looking on peacefully as the winter sun glances over them

Finding the bird bath frozen over, capturing fallen leaves in the ice, a sculpture

Re-emerging into the world post covid and there had been some small, nearly imperceptible change in the bird song. It sounds fuller, like more voices have joined the conversation.

Went to see a much loved witch hazel (Hamamelis) today and it was out, in all it's bright yellow splendour and gorgeous, sweet scent

Januaryitus! Getting out of bed and finding motivation is a struggle! Just 5 more minutes...

Trimming back the raspberry canes in anticipation of this season's late summer bounty

Observing the bright crescent moon as it wanes and then begins to wax again, pausing in darkness for a day or two before resuming its luminous journey

The northeast wind bringing a taste of the colder January weather and making winter coats, gloves and hats a necessity

A mistle thrush singing loud and clear, high in a tree on our road, and a terrible noise outside yesterday lunchtime - two foxes in our neighbours’ garden, making it very clear that it’s breeding season...

The days ever so slightly stretching out - closing the curtains later and seeing the dusk after work rather than the dark

Ordering plants and seeds online and certainly not getting too many, definitely definitely not

Struggling with the dark mornings, so taking advice from the 2024 almanac and making my windowsill my little seasonal altar with candles I can light during the early mornings

Whiteness dusts the rooftops, trees and ground: great lazy flakes create slow moving whirlwinds around street lamps at night

Hanging star decorations from an oak branch picked up on the beach

New moon time was 3 minutes to midday, sowed teasel seeds to celebrate

Snowdrops jostling for position

Catching a glimpse of a shiny black bear while hiking through a muddy royal palm forest

Daffodils today- in bloom!

I knit my first hat of the year and it has been cold enough to wear it most days

Dreaded January cold. Lots of hot lemon & honey

Robins, green shoots and a first bee apparently delighted by the hellebore I added to my winter garden

Cutting winter honeysuckle to bring indoors. It's lifted my spirits and is a beautiful reminder that not everything in the garden is hiding its light

Still leaving the twinkling lights on around my porch door for the January birthdays

The greater spotted woodpeckers have started drumming, the sound carrying far across the winter landscape

Drinking plenty of honey, lemon and ginger trying to keep the bugs at bay

Beautiful, thank you all.

Here’s my Week 3

Pink grass

It really is beautiful dawn season but I can’t just keep posting pictures of the sky so I turned around and took a picture the other way. The grass was frosted, the light was pink, my shadow was long. Each morning I am seeing great beauty and feeling a real sense of awe, and it’s really not a bad way to start the day.

Crow corner

I will not be winning wildlife photographer of the year for this but here is my ‘Crow in Flight’ (Lia Leendertz, 2024). We round the corner at the woods and at this time of year there is always a menacing murder hanging about. The dogs chase them, which worries me because I know crows have very long memories and I can’t help but think this is going to come back and trip us up some day…

Sarcococca

Beautiful scent in my front garden. It is so cold I can’t smell it so I am about to snip a piece and bring it in and put it on my desk.

---

That’s it from me! What have you noticed this week that has felt particularly ‘this week’? Leave a comment below.