We’re in the deep midwinter, the season of turning towards the light in hope—Chanukah began at sunset on 18th, it’s Solstice today as I write and Christmas on Sunday—festivals in which the hard times are set against the blessings that persist and those to come. In my forest garden, the apple trees have been the […]
winter
Writing the bleak midwinter into light
We are approaching the midwinter. It’s a time to hibernate, a time for rest and restoration, a time for going inward so that new seeds can germinate. Winter may be cold (as I write I’m wrapped in shirt, jumper and extra cardigan, topped with a thick dressing gown, wool beret and fingerless gloves) but it […]
Writing as we listen
It’s the middle of November, the last weeks of another year of extreme weather, fires, floods, the lingering threats of Covid, wars and rumours of wars… Less than two weeks ago I was in Paris for Samhain with unseasonal temperatures in the mid-twenties. Now I’m beginning to look forward to the first Christmas in three […]