It was freezing again when I left the house this morning. The wind almost knocked me over. By the time I got to school the sun was just starting to peek over the rooftops. A glorious sunrise turned into a very overcast day, but that doesn’t matter, for I was blessed to see a new dawn.
The moon still stood high in the coal black morning sky as I headed to work this morning. It peered out from a mist of clouds to give an almost greenish glow. My breath hung in front of me and under the glow of street lamps the metal railings sparkled where the frost had taken hold.
I’ve stayed bundled up at work today as I can’t seem to shake off the chill that’s in the air. It truly feels that Winter has arrived in all of her artic frosty glory. It feels like December and I love it!
It was cold this morning. The wind whipped my hair around my face as I walked to the train station in the dark. This is the first morning that it has remained dark for the majority of my journey into work. Now and then I would see glimpses of a lit window or the light from another train passing us, illuminating the arch of the trees and highlighting the tracks beside us, before the world returned to obscurity. It felt almost like a Dickensian winter morning outside. I could appreciate the feeling that the glow of a candlelit window promised after traveling for so long in the blackness of shadows.
The air was fresh and clean coming off of the river this morning and as chilly as it was I decided to take a longer walk to work. It made my cheeks turn pink and my nose run, but I was so happy. My detour route takes me by some hidden gems. The air smelled of pine needles as I passed by a row of houses. There were piles of branches on the curb that were the shaved off remnants of Christmas trees. Shorn around the base to fit inside their tree stand. There were still plenty of leaves underfoot that crackled and crunched as I walked over them. Unusually, I passed no one for ages, it was bliss, the world was simply mine.
Well, today in the second day of the second month of the year, Phil saw his shadow this morning. Which means that 6 more weeks of winter are ahead. If only he could tell me if that counts for England as well. Because I could use a bit more winter that includes some snow in my future, I’m tired of all this rain!
Happy Epiphany to you all. Our “Little Christmas” gift this year was that we survived Winter Storm Ion. We made it home to London, it only took us 4 days to do it!
But, we looked at our situation as a mini adventure. We stayed in a nice hotel in the Rosemont district of Chicago, ordered delicious deep dish pizza after midnight as we hadn’t eaten since lunch. I had the joy of getting a migraine earlier in the day and finally had to grace the airport bathroom with my presence by getting sick, so I was more than ready to eat a little something. We hung out, watched some TV, watched the snow from our window. We were together, so we were happy.
So, that is why my space has been radio silent the past few days. But, I have so much to share with you and a few pictures too. Not as many as usual as I was so caught up having FUN, I didn’t take as many as I would have liked!
I hope that your New Year has started out quietly and merrily and that you have been able to ease into this first month with a calmness and a peace about your spirit.
Well Phil did not see his shadow today, so we shall have an early Spring! I wouldn’t mind one more snow day off from school though!
Happy Groundhog Day!
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I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape – the loneliness of it, the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it, the whole story doesn’t show. ~Andrew Wyeth
Last night there was a fog “as thick as pea soup!”, as they say. The visibility in some areas was non-existent. We were lucky we could see the bus coming. We got home and the candle glowing in our window was a welcoming sight!
We stayed bundled up last night. Mr. Michie graded papers and I worked on a scarf I am knitting while talking to my sister (via Skype) and listening to Christmas music in between.
The fog cleared in the night but the dampness combined with the cold air has left a glorious frost on everything. All the trees and plants and rooftops and grass was covered in a sparkle of frostiness this morning, all highlighted by a blue gray sky.
Even the cobwebs along the fence posts were crystallized. It was like something out of science book, watching crystals form and grow. The frost shot off of the branches in sharp little points, like iced needles.
The world was magical this morning and I am blessed that I got to see it.
It is cold outside. The windowpanes were frosted this morning when we woke up, but the sunrise was gloriously greeting us as we headed to school. The sky was filled with pinks, peaches and hues of lemony yellows. It quickly turned into a violet gray and began to get darker and darker.
We arrived at school and I went upstairs to the Art department to get ready for our second day of exams, I had to run an errand at the front of the school and as I went downstairs and headed for the door the sky had gone from a violet gray to a charcoal white and snow was billowing down in great puffy pom-pom shaped balls.
I felt like Lucy from “Charlie Brown”, I wanted to dip my head back, lift my face to the sky and stick my tongue out and catch them. It lasted for only an hour or so and unfortunately didn’t stick, but it made my morning.
I have been listening to Christmas music all day today in the cupboard and I thought I would share an album I really like with you, enjoy!
Happy St. Nicholas Day! I have said it before and I will say it again, this was one of my favorite days growing up. We would be in our classrooms, trying so hard to concentrate on what Sister Marion was saying, one of our elfin size shoes would be waiting in the hallway and we would be intently listening out for the sound of bells.
When you heard that tinkle, tinkle, getting louder and louder as it came closer to your classroom door, it was all you could do to contain yourself. A shadow would cross the doorway, the tinkle of the bells would fade into the distance and you knew he had been. He, being St. Nicholas! We were allowed outside and tucked in our shoes was usually a miniature candy cane, a fat little orange and a plastic snow globe of the nativity scene.
It was always such a magical day. I hope that St. Nicholas brings you a bit of magic today as well.