Nesting

I am well and truly in the 'nesting' phase of winter.

Is it even decent to allow the days to just roll on by, without a sense of accomplishment, or the tick of a list.

The Christmas decorations are taken down at least, although I tend to leave the table decorated for a few more weeks of color.

 

 

There are whispers of the "S" word  in the grapevine, so I'll leave the winter dishes in place.

 

 

 

The house looks so bare without all the Christmas excess, it's funny how you get used to all the baubles and lights.
It's a candle-lighting, book-reading, tea-drinking kind of night.
Enjoy yours !

Under The Weather

Ice, snow, rain and now fog.......... are we there yet !

Nesting

And The Snow Came.

 

 

 

 

 

Announced by all the trumpets of the sky,

Arrives the snow, and, driving o'er the fields,

Seems nowhere to alight: the whited air

Hides hills and woods, the river, and the heaven,

And veils the farmhouse at the garden's end.

The sled and traveller stopped, the courier's feet

Delayed, all friends shut out, the housemates sit

Around the radiant fireplace, enclosed

In a tumultuous privacy of storm.

The Snow Storm ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson





 

No Takers

 

 

 

 

Winter Days

The recipe books are once again sitting snugly on their shelves, instead of being strewn about the kitchen counter tops.
It's a ritual I go through every holiday, drag out the recipe books, and yet make the same tried amd tested dishes as the year before.
Tradition prevails.

We're having a blast of Arctic weather blow through today, the coldest in many years.

It's a rare occasion when the temperatures drop into the single digits.
I'm leaving the tartan tablecloth in place for a little while longer, the colors warm and inviting, giving dull Winter days, a much needed splash of vibrancy.

 

 

 

The Christmas ornaments will be packed away in the morning, marking the end of Yuletide.

I tend to stick to old traditions of leaving the decorations in place for the twelve days of Christmas, just as my parents and grandparents did in England.

It's the perfect weather on a late blustery winter afternoon for indulging in lots of tea, and enjoying a shortbread biscuit or two.

 

"Come along inside... We'll see if tea and buns can make the world a better place."

~ Kenneth Grahame, "The Wind in the Willows"

Snow Day

Mother Nature threw down her blanket shortly after midnight last night, just in time for an artic blast moving through area.
Our first snowfall of the year, magically transforming the landscape.

 

May you stay warm on the inside, when it's cold on the outside.

Out of the bosom of the air,

Out of the cloudfolds of her garment shaken,

Over the woodlands, brown and bare

Over the harvest-fields forsaken,

Silent, and soft, and slow

Descends the snow.

~~By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.~~

Nesting Season

A bitter-cold night, ground laden with a hoar frost.
There's whispers of snowfall by morning light.
The kind of evening that lends itself to staying indoors, finishing the Christmas cards, and watching old movies on the television.
A time to nest.

The Snow Storm

Four o' clock this afternoon, yet more snow !!

Announced by all the trumpets of the sky,

Arrives the snow, and, driving o'er the fields,

Seems nowhere to alight: the whited air

Hides hills and woods, the river and the heaven,

And veils the farmhouse at the garden's end.

The steed and traveler stopped, the courier's feet

Delayed, all friends shut out, the housemates sit

Around the radiant fireplace, enclosed

In a tumultuous privacy of storm.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Going "Home"

It snowed again last night, falling swiftly and silently, blanketing the landscape within an hour.

A driving, wet snow, with enormous snowflakes.

More of the same is predicted for tomorrow, is there no end ?

We buried a family member today, and yes, it was snowing.

The First Sergeant's cousin, who had suffered with health problems over the last few years.

A much-loved son, brother, and friend, whose time on earth was cut short at the young age of fifty eight.

A beautiful and heart-touching service, we sang hymns with only the accompaniment of our own voices, it lifted spirits.

Godspeed Douglas......

Thank you for all of the Oliver 'well-wishes'.

He continues to improve, and hopefully I will be bringing him home to recover further in the next day or two.

I've surely missed his furry ears and whiskers :)

Almost There !

I've made my way through the snow-covered British Isles, and will soon be embarking on the last leg of my journey.
Destination Torosay Castle, on the Isle of Mull, off the Scottish Headlands, as guest of Mr. Toast's 2nd Annual Christmas Tea Party.

It's going to be a magical time, hope to see you all there !




There is nothing in the world,
More beautiful than the forest
Clothed to its very hollows in snow.
It is the still ecstasy of nature,
Wherein every spray,
Every blade of grass,
Every spire of reed,
Every intricacy of twig, is clad with radiance.


~ William Sharp

No Snow ?

The debut of their new techie weather- prediction equipment on the local news station last night, boasted "highly accurate" forecasting.
It failed to predict the new falling snow, we are once again experiencing here in middle Tennessee.
Pffffff. Poppycock.