READER, I DONNED ‘EM
PodBean Link for those who like to listen
This morning the air smells cold, and there is a transparency to its freshness. I think I almost catch an essence of almonds, but am mistaken. Soft flakes of snow float down before turning to rain.
Alt text says this week’s photo is a person and a person wearing Christmas lights. I say it is me and my big bro donning the fairy lights, and smiling for a photo. I enjoyed a range of family photographs with the lights, but did not manage to capture any ‘head through the festive wreath’ photos this time round. I will hold that thought for next year and find a nice one to take on my travels with me. The lights were good though and even helped my visibility on a slightly foggy evening on a stroll to meet with dear friends when we were on our travels down south.
It was foggy again on Christmas Eve which gave the perfect opportunity to sing Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer with gusto. I don’t remember being out on a foggy Christmas Eve before, and I liked the fact that finally it matched the lyrics of the song. I didn’t see the reindeer though. Not like when I was little and I swear I got out of bed in my attic bedroom when I heard sleigh bells, to see Santa’s sleigh pulling up into the sky by the light of the moon. I also swear its image was etched in the ice on the window as proof when I wondered if it had been real.
This year gave me my first real experience of not knowing what day it is in the period between Christmas and New Year. I have never really experienced this vividly before, although I do understand the way days can roll into one when routine is not in place. But this year events mixed things around and I had Fridays that felt like Saturdays so it seemed I did the same day twice, and I thought it was still New Year’s Eve on New Years Day because I didn’t stay up for a midnight walk this year. There was a need to be away from home longer than planned which led to me driving home to pick up medication that I needed. Having identified a window of opportunity before the forecast snow was due I found myself briefly back at base packing some bits and pieces and substituting two mince pies, a bag of crisps and four biscuits for a healthy dinner. It was delicious and hit the spot, but made me chuckle as it probably wasn’t in line with my Snowdon training. 2025 is the year that my sister and I will climb Snowdon so that we arrive at the summit for sunrise. A guided walk for charity because we want to raise money for Cancer Research, and also because we are not competent to find our own way very far in the dark let alone up a mountain.
I have set resolutions along the lines of ‘to get fit’ in the past, but this year’s goal of being fit enough to enjoy walking up Snowdon seems much more focused and more fun. I haven’t walked my daily steps yet this year, but there are milestones in place that will help with this and our date is in September which allows plenty of time.
Holding steady in more difficult times reminds me why I love to celebrate joys of all shapes, sizes and intensity. The joy of watching my family unwrap their presents, the joy of seeing what people chose to gift to me, the joy of shared meals, quizzes, laughter, fairy lights, half price mince pies, Brussels sprouts that travelled many miles in the car, the moon with Venus on a clear night.
Today I will share a poem I wrote on the 6th January 2019:
Epiphany
Today the sea danced.
Rocking and rolling brand new rhythms,
flirting with the sky for colour change.
Slapping out its energy, it lifted itself
sent its white curls up and over.
On the wet width of the promenade
we stepped a hurried waltz
to dodge its high jinks.
Stopping to frame the horizon
I caught the scent of summer –
cold but definite.
Against shades of blue,
stirred with the grey-green,
you smiled.
At last you let me photograph you.
Comments
Post a Comment