8 days to Boxing Day. All Christmas cards are off on their journeys. The foreign ones are being tracked by the Post Office App. I am travelling vicariously with them as the cards slowly venture across countries and continents to my friends and family. Locally, me and the dogs had a fabulous morning doing a walking tour and delivering all the nearby, by-hand ones. Nearly three hours of walking in the wintery sun and nattering to people along the way. The afternoon was already well established by the time I got home. Yesterday and today’s tinkering with an unfinished painting accidentally created next year’s Christmas card. Tinkering indoors was a good thing to do to avoid really grotty weather

Let it snow, even though snow is fairly unusual in Cornwall where this fictional scene is set.

And so on to S in 26 Days to Boxing Day. Snow.

A snowy environment suits Lola’s colouring . Hugo is inclined to look a little grubby.

These are old pictures maybe 5 years or so. I am a theoretical lover of snow . In the mild south west of England snow is rarely this picture perfect. Dirty slush is the most likely iteration here and that is no one’s idea of picturesque.

16 Days to Boxing Day.

Wintering. There is a plethora of good vibe articles about learning to love short and wintery days. I have never been a fan of West Country winters. I love the crisp cold winters of London, the South Coast  and East Anglia. But I have chosen to make my life in Devon and Cornwall, places where the winter is warmer wetter and unrelentingly greige. Wintering positively is something I aspire to. Book reading and twinkling lights are an easy boost.

Yesterday afternoon and this morning I attempted to record my greige reality. Another alleged way of boosting the love for winter.

I can’t say that simply recording these images felt particularly positive. But using my randomly generated AI photo editing made the evening pictures a much more positive experience. For some reason the morning ones remained resolutely dull.

The dusk shot was a revelation of different interpretations.

I am intrigued by the difference between morning and afternoon photographs. It has to do with the position of the sun and which direction I am facing. West is best. I tried to create some interesting images from the morning shot, but it was not to be. The afternoon shot just kept giving fabulous manipulated images. Which certainly inspires me. My wintering, late afternoon walks with the dogs can include some greige photography as long as I face westward. I already feel perkier about the post 4 pm walk.

26 Days to Boxing Day.

K is for Kindness which we should all aspire to particularly during the festive season.

Another K is for Keith, my Dad who was always a kind, generous and open minded man. 30 Christmases without him seems like a mad number.

I often wonder if Keith is one of those names that might get lost in the future. It is a strong Scottish name meaning wood but I cannot image it ever being trendy . I have never known a nasty Keith. They are rare but always lovely in my experience.