Midwinter 2018

On Friday 21 December

it was the Winter Soltice, also known as Midwinter.

The next day was a full moon although the sky was not clear enough for me to see it.

It's also the time of the year when candlelight brings in a warming cosy atmosphere

and there is a wish to decorate with delicate seasonal things.

This tiny crystal snowflake is perfect!

This festive red candle represents the return of light which has just begun

with each day increasing by a few seconds!

The reflection can be seen in my window against the night sky!

The same window in the daytime brings in softness created by the winter's sky.

There have been rainy days and sunny ones and even snow flurries which didn't settle for long.

A few leaves hang on and make pretty silhouettes against the sky.

Like fingers which hold

fuzzy balls against the sky

touching tenderness.

Whenever the weather is dry and not too blustery, I go walking to be

amazed by nature in this wintry season.

These catkins tell me that spring will follow in good time.

I take one of the dried hydrangea flowers from my plant on the balcony.

It remains beautiful even as in this state of maturity.

Now we're leading up to Christmas which can be a little overwhelming

with the stores pushing us to buy and then buy some more

with lights that are a little over the top and a bit too bright!

I do love to keep things rather simple and really liked this elegant balsam wood

hanging decoration with a shiny crystal ball.

The night sky shows up the details the best.

I saw them at the Christmas Market in Lucerne when I visited at the beginning of  December.

You can see it here

A Christmas tree bauble speaks of Christmas which will be in two days' time.

It's a time when families like to be all together.

This year, I made a Christmas garland to hang up in my living room!

It looks very festive!

You can see them better here.

The different patterns have been collected over time from different sources.

The four blue snowflakes on the bottom row are a smaller version of the one here:

Anabelia Craft Design

The yellow stars are from here:

Cherry Heart

Remember,

whatever this present moment holds for you, embrace it,

enjoy it or learn from it.

As often as you can, keep smiling - it can make someone's day

and it embellishes our whole attitude to life

and the world around us!

***

Note:

Please click on each photo to enlarge them so they fill the screen!