Phew that was close!

I thought the world was about to end ;)

But it hasn't, and the sun has risen again, so all's well that ends well.

Midwinter blessings to one and all

May the strengthening Sun bring you love, light & laughter in the coming year.

Tonight is the great Midwinter feast,

so I'd better go and start cooking and baking.

Midwinter Menu

Starters

Mushroom Butter

with home-made toasted bread

Main course

Pork & herb sausages
with roasted winter vegetables.

Kippered Mackerel
with leeks & crushed potatoes.

Cheese stuffed chicken
wrapped in Bacon.

Colcannon

Dessert

Individual fruit puddings

Tea/Coffee

Mince pies

Cheese board

Midwinter

Winter long

Winter deep

Snow & ice

The Cailleach's keep

Mist shrouded morn

Crystal white

Shortest day

Longest night

The land sleeps

Earth rests

Heartbeat slow

within the breast

Darkness falls

Fires blaze bright

The vigil kept

All through the night

Travellers arrive

To join the feast

And await the Sun

Watching the East

A pale glow

The first soft ray

The sun is risen

Darkness driven away

The land sleeps

Earth rests

Yet heartbeat quickens

within the breast

Five more sleeps......

until Midwinter/Yule/Winter Solstice/insert festival of choice here

and I'm really looking forward to it,

as it will be the first one that I've been able to host in a place of my own.

But more of that later in the week.

I just thought I'd stick my head up and say hello. I'm still here. 

There's been no crafting, no poetry, not even photo's of the dead leaves in the garden.

There has been partying though :)

Tuesday was Come Dine with Me at a friend's

(we don't score each other, or rummage through the drawers)

Friday was the office party

(very civilised and nothing to gossip about)

and Saturday was the Cubby Hole party

(fairly civilised, and I don't think there's any gossip)

Today has mostly been pottering about.

Made my first batch of mince pies, and they came out well. 

Maybe not as photogenic and uniform as Mr Kipling's,

but much nicer (even if I do say so myself).

And that's about it really.

Gratuitous seasonal photograph.....

Now what?

Well now here's a conundrum. 

I've packed away my crafty stuff so that I can sort the house for the festive season,

so what on earth am I going to bore you with for the next couple of weeks?

I suppose I could regale you with tales of my Midwinter preparations and various social events,

or try and write some new poems (they may even rhyme),

perhaps a day by day photoshoot of the leaves blowing around the yard.

Hmmmmmmm........

Decisions, decisions.......

Stung

Still on a roll...........

Listening to Sting's "Englishman in New York" last night, and I was inspired by the line

"At night a candle's brighter than the sun"

It's a journal page in acrylics, but applied really heavily to give some texture

(which doesn't show in the picture)

23 days to go.....

.....and all my Christmas presents are made! 

AEDM seems to have certainly fired up my mojo.

These are the last two presents (youngest daughter & her girlfriend)

as well as another rugby canvas for a friend who wanted to pinch the one I'd made before.

On top of that I've baked,

bottled my Solstice Brew

and started planning the Midwinter Feast

which came to a shuddering halt when I got to dessert.

Anybody have a dessert recipe which is:

light,

refreshing,

not too complicated,

doesn't include dairy produce,

or alcohol,

or chocolate,

or banana

and preferably can be made in advance!