At the bottom of my garden, there is a large Mahonia. It's in full flower, it's acid yellow blooms shining in the sun which shone for a good while yesterday. From my bedroom window, I noticed movements so grabbed my binoculars and was surprised to see a blackcap flitting about. It made me so happy, for I've never seen a blackcap in the garden before. This is the second newcomer to my plot, the first being a pair of nuthatches who started coming to my feeders in early autumn. What joy!
We used to have a Mahonia but removed it to make way for a summerhouse, which made me sad. But we always saw blackcaps on it at this time of year too! They must eat the flowers or the insects attarcteyto them?
Leaning into Christmas now, finding I haven't minded the delay. Treasuring home. The children back from university, the annual trip to the Christmas tree farm, and the lights helping comfort us in these so short days.
Thankyou Lia, and to all of the nature friends in my phone, for making this kind, observant corner of the internet somewhere beautiful and transporting to visit each week. Wishing you all whatever type of Christmas suits you best. Xxx
The smell of fir in the house after trimming the Christmas tree branches, and decorating it with all my favourite ornaments: the ones brought back from travels abroad, the quirky ones shaped like astronauts and dinosaurs, and the sentimental ones from long ago including those I made at school, many decades ago…
A nice, cold winter walk in the bright sunshine where we saw 50+ redwings picking around in a field, a few meadow pippets "pipping" away and a lone stonechat. A nice cup of tea and mince pie to warm up afterwards
Today being midwinter's eve, it's time to start rereading The Dark is Rising! Every 20th December for at least a decade, I've revisited the book, and my Christmas season has begun with Will's brother James fuming "like a small angry locomotive".
I loved your episode with Alice this month! Think I’ll give it a second listen at some point, such a balm in this busy season.
A few festive things this week! Here in Minnesota we had our first snow day yesterday, a proper layer of snow causing my office to shut down and the plows to come out in full force! Looks like we are on track for a white Christmas, which I am so grateful for. I spent this week chasing down crackers (a little less common in the Midwest) and generally squirreling little holiday surprises away to pull out next week. (Now as long as I don’t forget any when we are packing up the car…)
I had a festive afternoon tea with a friend ~ a yearly ritual that we’ve been doing for a decade now. The frangipane mince tart just tasted of Christmas! It does feel more of a slog this year for some reason and I’m very much looking forward to the solstice and turning the year!
I love opening those boxes Lia. Glad the tree worked its magic! This week there has been an awful lot of weather here in Sheffield. Torrential rain, grey skies, wind, bright sunshine and huge rainbows. Yesterday I had a good look round the garden and noticed just how many bulbs are starting to show their green shoots. There are hellebores raising their heads too. The year is definitely turning. Today I’m getting ready for a big meal at home with friends to mark the solstice tomorrow. Looks like the fire will be rained off, but there will certainly be a lot of candles.
Thank you Lia for expressing so well how I have felt. Due to circumstances I haven't felt much like Christmas. But driving home late afternoon a few days ago and seeing so many of the local houses lit up with amazing displays made me feel more positive. Today, with some help, I got out the boxes of Christmas decorations. And now I'm really looking forward to making the house look more like Christmas. I know I will enjoy unwrapping all the familiar things collected over the years. I so look forward to your Friday 'letter', it's a highlight of my week. I've just bought the 2025 Almanac, and I'm so looking forward to following it through the year.
A walk in the woods to collects greenery for the mantle piece, working until my back ached to finish orders before my son breaks up for the holidays, his school messaging me to say he actually ate Christmas dinner and finishing reading The Children of Green Knowe, the loveliest book I've ever read!
I have Christmas in 'snatches', being in a profession that supplies things to make other people's Christmases jolly. It's really hard to summon up the enthusiasm to do your own! Yesterday though I made the most of a cancelled yoga class to dash out into the jitty ( alleyway) and cut holly, ivy and bay, collected my tiny houses, candles and szopka (tiny Polish nativity made from sweet wrappers ) and created my festive mantlepiece. Never mind that the usual suspects were hastily stuffed into boxes and chucked upstairs, the candles are flickering, the the room smells like Christmas and my humbug heart has melted.
The view of the moon from our back window looking across to the fields at about 4.30 in the morning is magical. It is an ethereal, shimmery blue and so bright. It's worth getting up alt that time to view it in all it's forms. There has been some stormy weather recently and even through the angry looking clouds, it has been possible to make out the glow of the moon from behind them, so atmospheric. I love the night skies at this time of year when some of the planets are low in the sky.
We took the dog for a walk at Beamish Open Air Museum (I highly recommend if you’re up this way) to see the Christmas decorations from all the eras represented. We enjoyed watching all the kids excited to be on the hunt for mischievous elves and playing with the little gifts they received after meeting Santa. But my husband and I had our own little Christmas excitement when we rounded a corner to find Santa and Mrs Claus riding through the Victorian town in a beautifully decorated horse drawn carriage- amazing how that little surprise can bring out the childlike wonder of the season! It definitely helped me get into the Christmas mood. 😊
Yesterday, in the garden, I noticed a line of green shoots pushing through a crack in the concrete path. They are Spanish bluebells, getting a head start. I used to try to eradicate them but it’s a Live and Let Live garden now.
I agree that it is always lovely to open the box of Christmas tree decorations and this year it was even more special as my grandaughter helped me and she carefully unwrapped each ornament, taking it from the tissue paper and with lots of oohs and aahs she chose places for them all on the tree. The result was definitely different but the process was just wonderful and is what Christmas is all about...love and family.
At the bottom of my garden, there is a large Mahonia. It's in full flower, it's acid yellow blooms shining in the sun which shone for a good while yesterday. From my bedroom window, I noticed movements so grabbed my binoculars and was surprised to see a blackcap flitting about. It made me so happy, for I've never seen a blackcap in the garden before. This is the second newcomer to my plot, the first being a pair of nuthatches who started coming to my feeders in early autumn. What joy!
We used to have a Mahonia but removed it to make way for a summerhouse, which made me sad. But we always saw blackcaps on it at this time of year too! They must eat the flowers or the insects attarcteyto them?
I'm going to be watching my mahonia! Thank you!
Oh that’s lovely!
Leaning into Christmas now, finding I haven't minded the delay. Treasuring home. The children back from university, the annual trip to the Christmas tree farm, and the lights helping comfort us in these so short days.
Thankyou Lia, and to all of the nature friends in my phone, for making this kind, observant corner of the internet somewhere beautiful and transporting to visit each week. Wishing you all whatever type of Christmas suits you best. Xxx
Such beautiful, thoughtful words as always Wendy x
The smell of fir in the house after trimming the Christmas tree branches, and decorating it with all my favourite ornaments: the ones brought back from travels abroad, the quirky ones shaped like astronauts and dinosaurs, and the sentimental ones from long ago including those I made at school, many decades ago…
A flash of teal and orange as a kingfisher darted across the pond on a dull, grey day. High excitement.
Breakfast by treelight. Thoughts of hibernation and planning a midwinter feast.
Breakfast by treelight! What a wonderful sequence of words
A nice, cold winter walk in the bright sunshine where we saw 50+ redwings picking around in a field, a few meadow pippets "pipping" away and a lone stonechat. A nice cup of tea and mince pie to warm up afterwards
Today being midwinter's eve, it's time to start rereading The Dark is Rising! Every 20th December for at least a decade, I've revisited the book, and my Christmas season has begun with Will's brother James fuming "like a small angry locomotive".
I loved listening to the BBC adaption of The Dark is Rising , 2 years ago. It really helped my mood after a double bereavement.
I loved your episode with Alice this month! Think I’ll give it a second listen at some point, such a balm in this busy season.
A few festive things this week! Here in Minnesota we had our first snow day yesterday, a proper layer of snow causing my office to shut down and the plows to come out in full force! Looks like we are on track for a white Christmas, which I am so grateful for. I spent this week chasing down crackers (a little less common in the Midwest) and generally squirreling little holiday surprises away to pull out next week. (Now as long as I don’t forget any when we are packing up the car…)
thank you! x
A white Christmas! Looking forward to the photos 😀
I had a festive afternoon tea with a friend ~ a yearly ritual that we’ve been doing for a decade now. The frangipane mince tart just tasted of Christmas! It does feel more of a slog this year for some reason and I’m very much looking forward to the solstice and turning the year!
What a fantastic idea!
I love opening those boxes Lia. Glad the tree worked its magic! This week there has been an awful lot of weather here in Sheffield. Torrential rain, grey skies, wind, bright sunshine and huge rainbows. Yesterday I had a good look round the garden and noticed just how many bulbs are starting to show their green shoots. There are hellebores raising their heads too. The year is definitely turning. Today I’m getting ready for a big meal at home with friends to mark the solstice tomorrow. Looks like the fire will be rained off, but there will certainly be a lot of candles.
I love the winter solstice. It means the days will be getting longer instead of shorter and more of those lovely green shoots will appear.
Thank you Lia for expressing so well how I have felt. Due to circumstances I haven't felt much like Christmas. But driving home late afternoon a few days ago and seeing so many of the local houses lit up with amazing displays made me feel more positive. Today, with some help, I got out the boxes of Christmas decorations. And now I'm really looking forward to making the house look more like Christmas. I know I will enjoy unwrapping all the familiar things collected over the years. I so look forward to your Friday 'letter', it's a highlight of my week. I've just bought the 2025 Almanac, and I'm so looking forward to following it through the year.
Glad those lights worked a bit of magic Thelma x
A walk in the woods to collects greenery for the mantle piece, working until my back ached to finish orders before my son breaks up for the holidays, his school messaging me to say he actually ate Christmas dinner and finishing reading The Children of Green Knowe, the loveliest book I've ever read!
I have Christmas in 'snatches', being in a profession that supplies things to make other people's Christmases jolly. It's really hard to summon up the enthusiasm to do your own! Yesterday though I made the most of a cancelled yoga class to dash out into the jitty ( alleyway) and cut holly, ivy and bay, collected my tiny houses, candles and szopka (tiny Polish nativity made from sweet wrappers ) and created my festive mantlepiece. Never mind that the usual suspects were hastily stuffed into boxes and chucked upstairs, the candles are flickering, the the room smells like Christmas and my humbug heart has melted.
The view of the moon from our back window looking across to the fields at about 4.30 in the morning is magical. It is an ethereal, shimmery blue and so bright. It's worth getting up alt that time to view it in all it's forms. There has been some stormy weather recently and even through the angry looking clouds, it has been possible to make out the glow of the moon from behind them, so atmospheric. I love the night skies at this time of year when some of the planets are low in the sky.
We took the dog for a walk at Beamish Open Air Museum (I highly recommend if you’re up this way) to see the Christmas decorations from all the eras represented. We enjoyed watching all the kids excited to be on the hunt for mischievous elves and playing with the little gifts they received after meeting Santa. But my husband and I had our own little Christmas excitement when we rounded a corner to find Santa and Mrs Claus riding through the Victorian town in a beautifully decorated horse drawn carriage- amazing how that little surprise can bring out the childlike wonder of the season! It definitely helped me get into the Christmas mood. 😊
Yesterday, in the garden, I noticed a line of green shoots pushing through a crack in the concrete path. They are Spanish bluebells, getting a head start. I used to try to eradicate them but it’s a Live and Let Live garden now.
I agree that it is always lovely to open the box of Christmas tree decorations and this year it was even more special as my grandaughter helped me and she carefully unwrapped each ornament, taking it from the tissue paper and with lots of oohs and aahs she chose places for them all on the tree. The result was definitely different but the process was just wonderful and is what Christmas is all about...love and family.