We went on a movie date Saturday night. I had booked the tickets weeks ago in advance to surprise Mr. Michie. It was a packed house. The atmosphere was buzzing! We ate popcorn, held hands and just breathed it all in.
We’re still digesting it. A lot happened. I was very happy in the way some things were portrayed. But that’s all I’ll say. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone else.
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We had our first snowfall of the season yesterday and it was magical. Above, is a photo I snapped yesterday morning. I went for a run and as I rounded the corner that was my view. I crossed the street and slowly made my way across the common until I came to the woodland path. The snow was half a foot deep in some places.
Once I entered the woods I just took my time. I walked, breathed in the clean fresh snow air and listened to that silence, the silence only snow can bring. I was happy to walk, I couldn’t have run if I wanted too anyway, the tree boughs were so heavy with snow that a lot of them were laying on the path. I had to shimmy my way over, under and around them.
It’s snowing again as I type this. Big fat velvety flakes are gently coming down. I don’t think too much of it will stick this time, it’s pretty icy out there. But, it is lovely to watch.
The candles are lit, Christmas music is playing and we’re staying toasty under blankets on this wintry Monday morning.
December is almost here. I’m elated to decorate our little cottage for the holidays, but at the same time, I feel that it is all happening so fast. I just want to slow down and enjoy the season we are coming in to. A large majority of stores have had their Christmas decorations out since the first of November. And although this is one of my favourite times of year, I want to savour it and not have it go by in a swirling rainbow blur.
I worked on taking all of our fall decorations down yesterday in preparation for Christmas decorating. I always bring our leftover pumpkins and gourds to the woods. This morning I headed into the woods on my run, which was really more of a swift walk at that point, because my pockets and hands were laden down with mini pumpkins.
I slowly moved off the path, after picking a good spot and nestled a few of them on a moss covered tree stump. I’ll keep my eye on them as I cut through the woods in the morning on my next couple of runs to see who has been feasting on them. Usually they are gobbled up by the muntjacs, squirrels and birds.
After leaving my little offering to the woods, I made my way back on to the main path, but not before a muntjac crossed in front of me a little ways further up. Maybe she was watching me? I hope she headed that way after I cleared out, she would have had quite a feast this morning if she did.
It was overcast when I headed out for my run this morning. The clouds were low and the way they wove into one another made me think of snow clouds. As I made my way onto the woodland trails, I started to see glimmers here and there of the sun trying to peek out.
When I came out onto the main path, the sun suddenly burst through the clouds. The wind picked up and forced the tree branches to sway and so many leaves that had been holding on with all their might, started to fall. Some came down quickly, some spun around and around in a dizzying circle and some slowly drifted. It was like leaf snow the way they all floated down and came to rest on the ground around me and it made me smile.
We had our first hoar frost of the season this week. It was beautiful! The grass looked like sugared sticks of spearmint. The ducks were huddled together in the middle of the pond with the heron walking amongst them. Little wrens hopped around the edges where ice had formed and dipped their beaks in and out of the water, slowly drinking.
Today I worked on making my first batch of gingerbread of the season. Just gingerbread rounds, no fancy shapes this time, it won’t be long though before I pull out my special gingerbread lady cookie cutter. Tomorrow I’ll ice them while I work on making the rest of a meal we are putting together for a friend.
I might have snuck a cookie while putting the last batch on the cooling rack. There just wasn’t room for all of them, I figured my eating one was just making space!
The evenings are coming quicker, soon it will start getting dark not long after 3pm. I don’t mind this time of year. I light my candles, I put my music on. I try to absorb as much from each season as I can.
My Mom introduced me to Kyle Pederson a few years ago and this particular album is one I can’t get enough of. I’ve been listening to it non stop today. Below is one of my favourites on the album as well as one of my most favourite carols, Lo, How A Rose.
I hope you’re having a lovely Wednesday wherever you may be today and that you find beauty in the little things.
“Come on, girls! Gladys, hold on to that drink tightly now, we don’t want to lose a drop!”
Here’s to the weekend, long may it last!
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Lucky for others, unlucky for some, Friday the 13th is often a date people dance around. Not, me! I happen to like the number 13 a lot; as well as the opportunity to have a fun Friday night themed party.
So, tonight we’re feasting on some fall favourites; roasted sausages on brioche buns with caramelised onions and a smear of apple butter. As well as crispy, salty, baked baby new potatoes and frosty apple cider to wash it all down with.
We’re also planning on watching a cheesy 80s Halloween themed movie and munching on orange tinted, marshmallow filled, gooey popcorn balls for dessert.
Here’s to the weekend! Long may it last!
I picked up a box of these cookies from one of my favourite Italian bakeries. Their faces made me smile. What could be better on a rainy Tuesday afternoon in October, than a jack-o-lantern cookie? As I lick the crumbs from my lips, I can’t actually think of anything, except maybe being able to share one with someone else.
This has felt like a week where there has not been a chance to catch your breath. The news is inundated with sadness, from all over the world. I’m very much looking forward to this weekend, as chance to catch our breaths and to hide away in the cottage; baking, cooking, listening to music with candles lit and restoring our beings from the week that has been and the week that is to come.
Inspired by a recent blog post from the lovely Alexandra Stafford, I made her pickled vegetable recipe yesterday morning, to sprinkle over homemade pizza tonight. I don’t know why I haven’t thought about this combination before, as one of our favourite pizza joints in Copenhagen, Neighbourhood, has a pizza that is topped with pickled veggies and we simply adore it. I normally try and recreate things at home, but this one has slipped my mind to attempt. So, I am very excited about dinner tonight, followed by our movie date to see Blade Runner 2049.
On a side note, I have long been a reader and fan of Alex’s and have been making her mother’s peasant bread ever since she originally posted the recipe. It is a staple around these parts. It is super easy to make and incredibly delectable to eat. I make it not only for us, but also for my family when we visit them and quite often to give away to friends. I would highly recommend making a loaf for yourself or someone you love. It is great toasted, slathered with salted butter. It makes a divine grilled cheese, a perfect pair of book ends for a roast beef sandwich and we normally save the ends to make croutons with as toppings for soups or salads.
I hope that wherever you are, you find peace in this weekend and are able to find the beauty in the everyday, because it’s still there, even in this messy, messy world.
In the dark of the sun
Will you save me a place
Give me hope, Give me comfort
Get me to a better place
Saw you sail across a river
Underneath Orion’s sword
In your eyes there was a freedom
I had never known before
Hey yeah yeah
In the dark of the sun
We will stand together
Yeah we will stand as one
Oh in the dark of the sun
Past my days of great confusion
Past my days of wondering why
Will I sail into the heavens
Constellations in my eyes
Hey yeah yeah
In the dark of the sun
We will stand together
Yeah we will stand as one
Oh in the dark of the sun
Hey yeah yeah
In the dark of the sun
We will stand together
Yeah we will stand as one
Oh in the dark of the sun
– Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, “The Dark Of The Sun”, Into the Great Wide Open, 1991
In the wake of the devestating news that was coming out of Las Vegas yesterday, I learned that Tom Petty had passed away. This was a man whose music was one of the defining sounds of not only my childhood, but also my teenage years and has continued into my adulthood.
Music is special, it is a language all to itself. It breaches walls. He was a true musician, you can’t say that about everyone. I listen to his music on almost a daily basis while I’m on my morning run. He’s been the background music to parties we’ve thrown, the soundtrack to Friday night pizza making and the sound of many a summer road trip. He stayed true to his sound and to who he was. He was rock ‘n roll and he is an artist that I will greatly miss.
Tom Petty once said:
“Music is probably the only real magic I have encountered in my life. There’s not some trick involved with it. It’s pure and it’s real. It moves, it heals, it communicates and does all these incredible things”.
Music is magic, it is healing and through all of the recent tragedies that continue to befall this still beautiful world, music is one of many things that we all have in common. We will stand as one.