Friday 21 December 2012

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

Tuesday 18 December 2012

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


Sunday 16 December 2012

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.....

Sunday 9 December 2012

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.......

Tuesday 4 December 2012

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)


Sunday 2 December 2012

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!