Category: Winter

#1413 theoldmortuary ponders

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Serendipity, WinterLeave a comment

Hard on the heels of St Brigids Day and Imbolc yesterday comes Candlemas on the 2nd February.

Churches often bless all the candles to be used in the church for the year . Other Christian significant things have been added to the day but just like Imbolc and St Brigid’s Day it marks the mid-point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox

We are frequent users of candles.  Especially fragranced ones, The quality of light a candle produces is one of the great positives of winter evenings.

Australia in December was an unusual scenario. Sunshine, candles and other-worldly fragrances in the run up to Christmas. Our return luggage had many essential oil blends that could be added to candles or fragrance diffusers that look like candles.

Candles are a true positive of the darker evenings of winter. The fragrances of Australia have added to the pleasure this year.

Candlemass a worthy Celtic and Pagan celebration.

#1409 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By theoldmortuary.designIn weather, Winter1 Comment

Waking up with a different perspective. Not a deep philosophical epiphany. Just the first morning with actual sunshine since the big winter/post-Christmas tidy-up and I am facing our Ikea lampshade from a different direction.

I believe we are at the end of the urge to tidy up and reposition furniture. There has been some clearing out but I sense more could be done when the daylight hours actually provide genuine daylight. This morning’s early effort was short lived. As morning tips into the afternoon a luminous Greige is the default version of daylight.

Similar light fitting, same lampshade, different room.

We have had between twice and three times the normal level of rainfall in January. The last two days of the month are scheduled to drop even more heavy rain on our already sodden souls. It has crossed my mind this morning that these lampshades are like mood reflectors. Upstairs the sun-touched one brought me the same visual joy as a tasty meringue, downstairs I have just replicated a grey raincloud. Nobody needs another one of those in my humble opinion.

I appreciate that other people in other locations might have a different perspective. Which is exactly where this blog began.

A circular economy of thought…

#1397 theoldmortuary ponders

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Serendipity, WinterLeave a comment
Sunshine in a preserving pan.

I always think winter is best endured if observed and endured in bite sized chunks. Getting to mid-January there is always a natural high point when a friend makes marmalade. Something I very much enjoy on a bite sized chunk of bread. A glowing pot of freshly created 2026 marmalade is lurking in my cupboard from today. The pot arrived on the same day as another sign that Winter is loosening her cold boney fingers from our vital parts. My first bunch of Daffodils. Really my favourite flower of all time. Just dont tell the Sunflowers, Roses or Tulips. Dahlias, peonies or Leucospermum.

Winter may have loosened her fingers a bit but there is at least another 6 weeks of mood boosting required . Marmalade , Daffodils and December Leucospermum. Are todays little sunshine coloured pick-me-ups.

December Leucospermum, Mornington Peninsular

Never forgetting another December treat.

Hong Kong Fruit stall. December.

Seeing so much sunshine and vivid colour in December has propelled me through the first half of winter . Marmalade and Daffodils will carry on the good work. I have been so lucky.

#1386 theoldmortuary ponders.

On By theoldmortuary.designIn Winter1 Comment
A glorious morning in Stonehouse

Our Morning Glory reusable coffee cups from Morning Glory Cafe on Coogee Beach.

Holidays and Christmas firmly behind us, the first Monday in January finds us with a list of chores and jobs all made a lot more tolerable by beautiful sunshine.

The sun even penetrated the car cleaning chore.

Our reusable coffee cups are useful and a great reminder of our first breakfast in Australia.

Morning Glory Cafe | Great coffee, great food, great service https://share.google/3HmDgRHaONki19kWJ

I will take a cold West Country winter with bright sunlight any day but a warm early summer in Sydney in December certainly has made it much more tolerable. I feel like I have had a power pack inserted, I really hope it lasts until at least the end of March.