Hello December, well you certainly haven't let us down! The first meteriological day of Winter and here you are with a sky full of stars. A white, white frost coats seed heads of Hogweed, stiffening the silky clusters of Old Man's Beard. A drift of sweet scented bonfire smoke spirals upwards as an eager gardener, making an early start in these days of softening daylight hours, pauses to hear the notes of robin song caught on the breeze.
Winter has been hovering, gently dislodging Autumn. Only last week the Beech trees, that march down the chalk hillside, wore the sun-kissed saffron and copper hews of the Red Kite who cruises the cold blue sky above. Now they are an army of bare grey trunks hung with threads of gold spun by the low hanging Winter sun.
Along the hedgerow glossy Holly leaves curl sharply around her scarlet berries, soon the gardener will select some of these shining branches to take home. With just 21 days left of shortening light and lengthening darkness, these are precious hours to collect Winter greenery and make preparations for feasting at the Winter Solstice, Yule and Christmas time before those daylight hours begin, slowly, oh so slowly, to lengthen once again.
Words and pictures by Artist and Druid © 2023 unless otherwise indicated.
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