Midwinter

One of my favourite Christmas carols has always been “In the bleak midwinter”, probably because the first verse is all about a snowy landscape, but I don’t think that growing up, I ever really thought about when “midwinter” actually was.

It’s now, isn’t it?**  Yesterday was the Winter Solstice, the shortest day, and now we’re heading back to lighter nights – it seems incredible that we’ve reached that point in the year.  Christmas Eve tomorrow, Christmas Day the day after … I’m pretty much ready for Christmas now (which has got to be a first, usually I’m racing Father Christmas on Christmas Eve to see which of us will manage to get the presents under the tree first! 🙂 ) and before the Christmas celebrations start, I’m going to try to spend the next hours slowing down, taking a deep breath and to appreciate the opportunity to stop rushing around for a while!

A hyacinth bulb in a glass jar next to an Advent candle in a reindeer-shaped chrome holder. Both are sitting on a wooden mantelpiece

The photos in today’s post were all taken this month and have sat on my camera roll whilst other things took priority.  It’s been lovely to go through them to write the post – especially as yet again, the wind is howling round the house and the rain is battering on the windows.  “Snow had fallen, snow on snow,” goes a line in the carol but certainly not here – we’re in for a warm (and probably windy) Christmas according to the weather forecasts.  It’s mostly frost in these photos, but I’ve enjoyed seeing the little bit of snow that we had at the beginning of the month again!

A pink sunrise sky over a frosty field. There are silhouettes of bare trees against the skyA low winter sun behind clouds on a frosty morning by a canalA blue sky with pink-tinged clouds visible through the bare branches of treesTwo interlocking hearts created by tyre tracks in snow A leaf and pebbles frozen into a small pond Heavy frost patterns on a plant Heavy frost patterns on conifer branches Small round frosted leaves on a cotoneaster plant. The leaves look red, blue and green Frost on green leaves Red Christmas baubles and decorations hanging on a tree in the middle of a meadowA closer view of red Christmas baubles and decorations hanging on a tree in the middle of a meadow A narrow band of golden sunset sandwiched between dark fields and a dark grey skyA view across fields to Fiddlers Ferry power station. The sun is setting and the sky is golden. There are only four cooling towers as the remaining four have been demolished

Someone has decorated a tree in Bewsey Meadows where the dog and I walk sometimes, and I love it.  Those red baubles have brought a smile to my face every time I’ve walked past them.

A delivery driver made the hearts on our driveway – quite unintentionally but my husband spotted them and took a photo.  The snow didn’t last long, but even a single snowflake makes my heart happy!  I’ve given my cousin in Canada the task of sending me photos whenever they have snow – and Lucy in Skipton as they get more snow than us – anyone, really who gets more snow that us as I have to get my snow fix from somewhere! 🙂  I was talking to my uncle in Canada the other day and he said they don’t have much snow on the ground – “but there’s still plenty of winter to go”.  He’s right.  We are only midwinter and there’s plenty of weather to come!

The last photo is of Fiddlers Ferry power station.  It used to have eight cooling towers but four of them (they would have been on the right) were demolished on 3 December.  The power station is 7.3 miles away from Winwick, according to Google maps, but we heard the sound of the towers falling and our house shook as if there had been an earthquake.  The dog goes for his hydrotherapy sessions at the kennels right next to the power station – it must have been loud there!

Thank you very much for your lovely comments and emails when I had a cold last week, and I’m sorry that some of you weren’t feeling great either.  It took a few days before I felt on top form again, but thankfully it’s all passed and I hope you’re on the mend now too!

 

I’ll be posting again tomorrow for Christmas Eve, but I’d like to take the opportunity now to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas, and if you don’t celebrate, then I wish you a joyful weekend! 🎄

 

** I’ve got my dates wrong – Midwinter is 3 February 2023, part way between the Winter and the Spring Solstices.  Thanks, Lucy!

 

 

You may also like...

36 Responses

  1. Thankyou for those stunning photos, lifted my spirits

  2. Joan Bray says:

    And a happy Christmas to you and yours. Thank you for all the smiles and laughter you have given me over the last year.

  3. Nathalie Brice says:

    Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy Healthy New Year too. And thank you for your weekly posts, the high light of Saturdays x

  4. Mary Cook says:

    Thanks Christine, so pleased you are feeling better.
    Hope you and your family have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy 2024.
    X

  5. Jo says:

    Wishing you a Merry Christmas. I enjoy reading your posts all year. No snow for us here in Indiana. We expect rain & will only be dreaming of a white Christmas 🎄

  6. Audrey says:

    Thankyou Christine. All the very best to you and your family. I love Xmas. spending time with my family. xx

  7. Vicki says:

    Merry Christmas 🎄🎁 Thank you for the time you make to write your blog.

  8. Fiona Kennedy says:

    happy Christmas to you and yours.Glad you are on mend

  9. Irune says:

    Merry Christmas!!!🌲🎅

  10. Cathy says:

    I always enjoy reading your (almost) weekly post – you have a wonderful way of cheering me up and encouraging me to try new things with knitting. If not then I just admire what you and others accomplish.
    Merry Christmas to you and your family!
    Best wishes in this coming New Year 2024

  11. Betsy Grizzard says:

    it wasn’t until my husband and I were in Oxford during a snowstorm that I truly understood the words to that carol. I too love the bleak mid-winter however enjoy it much better from pictures! Merry Christmas to you and your family, love from Central Florida

  12. Susan Rayner says:

    The photos have made my day. I too love proper winter and pray for wintery weather – we are obviously in for another grey and damp Christmas here in Surrey – but maybe it will get colder again afterwards.
    Wishing you and your family the happiest of Christmasses and another lovely year of sharing your life and projects with us in 2024.
    This is the time to read Milly Johnson’s “I wish it could be Christmas every day”.xx

  13. Charlotte says:

    Beautiful pictures Thanks for sharing. Wishing you and your family all the blessings of a Merry Christmas.

  14. Lynne Chinnock says:

    Merry Christmas to you & your family Christine, I so enjoy your newsy chats every week, it feels like your a lovely friend popping in for a chat & a coffee.
    Love the photos xx

  15. Edith McLaughlin says:

    I love the photos, beautiful snippets of winter. I wish I was a winter person but I am not, I love the warmth and the flowers and beaches of summer. I am happiest when it is 80 degrees farienheight out. Sadly I live in New England with lots of ice and snow days.

  16. Liz Hirst says:

    season’s greetings Christine, love your photos, always feel ‘better’ when daylight lengthens again, we’ve had some lovely sunsets lately but alot of gusty wind too, the fields are starting to dry up at last. Hope you get to relax a little,
    Best wishes
    Liz

  17. Caz says:

    Merry Christmas to you and your family,..hope you have an enjoyable time! Thank you for a year of photos and blog posts…love reading them!
    ❤️

  18. Kathy Augustine says:

    Have a lovely Christmas 🎄! Your photos and note were a delightful read this morning. We too will be having a warm Christmas this year (Eastern Shore of Virginia, USA) and we are so hoping for at least one good snow ⛄️

  19. Chris Hailebaxter says:

    Thanks for your blogs and photos. Merry Christmas to you and yours.
    By the by when I clicked on your email it keeps asking about the settings only this time it was in a foreign language. Why does it keep asking when I’ve already set up what I want or don’t want?

    • winwickmum says:

      I don’t know – it does that to me too. I’ll ask them when the support team is back after Christmas! I have no idea why it’s asking you questions in a foreign language either – a Christmas mystery! 🙂 xx

  20. Karen Fiddler says:

    Merry Christmas to you all.

  21. Christie says:

    The photos are beautiful! Merry Christmas to you and all your readers. ✝️🎄🙏

  22. Denise says:

    It looks as though you get the same hard frosts we do! They generally mean a beautiful morning, though.
    Merry Christmas to you and your family! Let us all hope for a far more peaceful 2024.

  23. SueJay says:

    Merry Christmas to you and I hope you have a lovely time with the family. Thank you for the blog and the lovely photos throughout the year.

  24. Siobhan Sargent says:

    Thank you Christine for the emails and photos throughout the year they have been great. Happy Christmas to you all and a peaceful new year

  25. Geraldine Preece says:

    Christine have a wonderful Christmas and new year – you deserve it !

  26. Cheryl says:

    I always enjoy your posts and photos-you really have an amazing eye for photography! I wish you and your family the most wonderful holidays! ❤️

  27. Sally says:

    Thanks Christine, beautiful photos! Christmas greetings from Sydney, Australia. Lovely & warm but we are expecting a wet Christmas Day!

  28. Rosie says:

    Thank you Christine, love looking at your photos and hearin.g snippets of your adventures with the dog and wayward kitties. plus big daughter not so small daughter and hubby too. Have a magical Christmas with you and yours x

  29. ann morgan says:

    Merry Christmas

  30. Lin says:

    Great photographs – have a lovely Christmas. xx

  31. Julia says:

    Beautiful photos and I especially love the accidental hearts! 💕 Happy Christmas 🎄

  32. Helen says:

    Merry Christmas Christine! Glad you’re feeling better. My eye was twitching for a week on and off and is now sore and weepy. Hoping it’ll be fine tomorrow but it’s doubtful!

    When you see demolitions on the news, you expect it to be loud but don’t think of the vibrations spreading out. I wonder if they do…

  33. Annette Edwards says:

    fabulous photos as always, love looking at them. Merry Christmas to you and your family x

  34. Corinne says:

    Merry Christmas to you and yours, and thank you for your lovely chats each week. Pleased you’re feeling better. Take care.

  35. Rachel says:

    I can almost feel the chill emanating from your photos through my screen – quite the welcome relief here in mid-summer Australia! I hope you had a lovely Christmas and new years.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *