Simple pleasures and seasonal living
There's a frost in the air. Against the black of the midnight sky, snowflakes begin to fall. Deep in the woods, a badger emerges from his sett, dug deep into the roots of the old, gnarled trees. He pauses . . . the snowflakes tumble . . . he senses the cold, the frost, the…
Continue reading ➞ The woods in winter – a lino cut Christmas card
The ash copse hangs heavy with bunches of tawny keys that wing their way down on the wind and litter the lawn. These airborne envoys carry a message . . . . this year is a mast year. All around the house, the woods and copses are conspiring. The protagonists – oak, ash and field…
Last night the wind raced over the rooftops, growled along the gutters and tore through the trees. Snug in my bed I dreamt of weathervanes. Moved by an invisible force, they changed direction, pointing first this way, now that. Heralds of high winds, portents of down pours, forerunners of fair weather, they turned as the…
Today is St Nicholas’s Day, and in many countries across Europe it will be celebrated with the giving of small, surprise gifts. During advent in Salzburg, St Nicholas appears on the streets and is a welcome presence when the marauding krampus creatures are around. On 6 December he can be seen taming them outside the…
A madly grinning Jack o’ Lantern has taken up residence at the entrance to the House at Nab End. His presence emphasizes the shortening day, symbolizes the end of summer, and helps us to greet this darkest time of the year. I am not one for the macabre, but such age old traditions help mark…
