Thursday 1 January 2015

January is Here!

Happy New Year 2015

Gentle Reader ~~~ is it not hard to believe that January 2015 is here already? Where did the last year fly to?  I've put up my Susan Branch calendar and if you hurry, there may still be some left.  

The wind of Winter is blowing from the East, so maybe Mary Poppins will drift by one day soon?

Cold and chill, no longer fragrant with the faded flowers of last Summer, whip and whistle through branches stripped of leaves long fallen to the forest floor.  Time to reflect on a year gone, and wonder, ponder what the New Year will bring ~~~

Here are some of my favourite pictures that I took towards the end of 2014 ~~~ some late Autumn colours, like a sprinkling of confetti, a remnant of a memory, scattered over the barest branches ~~~

A mossy wall and ivy clothed trees bring green to the muddy brown landscape ~~~ 


This particular bridge has always fascinated me ~~~ there is no vestige of path leading up to it, it is surrounded by fields on both sides of the bank, and it is quite a clamber to the top ~~~ it just sits there, the endless waters running underneath ~~~ my lovely, lonely bridge to nowhere ~~~


The newly refurbished clock faces on the cathedral tower ~~~ my, how lovely they do look, indeed, marking time and ever marching to the future ~~~


The wild and wintery looking sky of late afternoon across the Shire ~~~


Some amazing fungi ~ do you remember the secret fairy doorway? Well, it was hiding a great secret indeed ~~~ just look at what sprung up in the doorway ~~~



Here is a short musical interlude ~~~ the Tower Bells peal out across the gardens and the meadows of the Shire ~~~


Now Autumn is gone and the Winter sun sits low in the sky preparing for the long, slow climb ahead, and makes a nearby outcrop look quite spectacular in the late afternoon sunshine at Christmas ~~~ do I espy some people who have climbed all the way to the top?




There is a new tapestry, custom made to fit an alcove in the north transept of the cathedral ~~~ 


It is dedicated to Saint Caradog ~~~


The tree is lit in the village, on the Square ~~~


My hand shook taking this one, but I do love how each tiny light looks like a jolly jingling note of music, strung across the Square ~~~


Here is a picture of one of my favourite breakfasts during the Winter, when warm and filling food is called for to stave off the biting winds that blow ~~~ porridge made with almond milk, and topped off with a sprinkling of muscavado sugar and a generous helping of my home made Cranberry Relish with some whole almonds ~~~


The wind is whipping wildly about my cottage tonight and I am glad to be indoors and sitting by the fireside.  There are gardening catalogues by my chair and I peruse their pages often through the day as I plan what will be planted in the garden in the Spring ~~~ but in the meantime, remember that ~~~


~~~ A Gardener's Work is Never Done ~~~



19 comments:

  1. Oh Deborah, I just love the photographs surrounding the Shire! How lovely to once again hear those beautiful bells. The tapestry is just so intricate in its beauty. I'm sure each scene has significance to your area. Thank you for the lovely bridge to nowhere. Your writing abilites make me swoon. Stay warm and cozy and dream of spring in your gardens. ♥

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    1. Good Morning Martha Ellen ~ yes, the work, hours and hours, that must have turned not only in to months but years, that went in to that tapestry ~ I am in awe! Sweet dreams of the garden in Spring as Winter brings out the hibernator in me! ~~~D

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  2. I love the new look of your Blog, Deborah! The church bells are beautiful and a perfect accompaniment to your photographs, which, as usual, are lovely. Those string of lights DO look like musical notes! Your porridge (is it oatmeal?) looks yummy. I think I'll have to make some for breakfast tomorrow. I love toasted walnuts and brown sugar with cream on mine. I think I have some dried cherries I can add, too. Raisins are big time over here, but I don't care for them all that much, except in gingerbread. Since your bells are on YouTube I'm going to have to find a reason to do a post where I can use them. I think I could listen to them all day.

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    1. Thank you, Cathy ~ I am still trying to find out what works for me and what doesn't, but I do like this font and it is my keeper {I wanted a more 'Jane Austen' or notebook look} Yes, porridge and oatmeal are one and the same thing and it is a great breakfast dish to adapt and play with the flavours we can add
      I could listen to the bells all day too ~~~D

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  3. What absolutely beautiful pictures! Your wintery landscape is beautiful, I love the sound of the church bells, and that bridge is intriguing. Hope you are having a wonderful start to the new year! :)

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    1. I confess, April, that I do love where I live. We pay the price, as when our Post Office changed last month, but overall I'd rather live here than anywhere else now ~~~D

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  4. Oh it is windy here too.
    We watched Mary Poppins & had a relaxing afternoon in together.
    All your photos are beautiful, the bridge is very magical & a special place.
    Have a wonderful New Year, I love reading your posts.
    Fondly Michelle

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    1. Didn't we have some wind yesterday and overnight? Still, so far this Winter has been kind to us compared to last Winter.
      I watched Mary Poppins too! All the while, I was thinking that I'd like to pop in my "Saving Mr Banks" dvd too! ~~~D

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  5. What a lovely late Autumn walk through the Shire today, Deb! Your bridge to nowhere is magical, surrounded by a riot of Autumn colors. It's so nice to hear the bells ringing. You live in a very special part of the world! Wishing you a fun start into the New Year! ♡

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    1. Thank you, Dawn ~~~ Yes, I count my blessings every time I set foot outside my cottage door ~ whatever the weather! ~~~D

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  6. Hello dear Debra... and Happy New Year to you!... our internet JUST came back up after being down for more than five days due to our severe weather and wind... I love the new look of your blog!... and your photos are just stunning!... that cranberry relish looks delish... much love, xoxo... Julie Marie

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    1. Hello Julie Marie ~~~ Thank you! Hope you stayed safe in all that bad weather? Your internet must be back now ~ how it hurts to be without it! ~~~D

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  7. Hello! Hey, am I the only one with the old font? Must be a glitch somewhere. Anyhoo, another lovely post. I would love to live near that bridge. It's beautiful and magical. You do live in a magical place. Tell Tom to hurry up and win the lottery so we can come visit. I want to sit on that bridge and contemplate life. :-)

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    1. We shall sit near that bridge and contemplate together ~ I spent many a happy childhood day romping in the field and getting wet in that river! Sorry you can't see the font now, it is still here ~~~D

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  8. Your photos are fantastic Deborah, both magical and technically perfect! I love your bridge to nowhere. It really does sing of Wales to me. We have a stone staircase to nowhere behind the farmhouse. I imagine it must have served the farmyard once before the house and the very old buildings were separated from the nineteenth century ones. Nowadays it simply disappears up into the ivy...

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    1. Thank you, Elizabeth. Oh, I can just imagine that staircase! Wouldn't it be wonderful to discover the original purpose? There is something magical about a feature that disappears into the air, or goes nowhere ~~~D

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  9. Lovely pictures as usual. They are really atmospheric and make me think of Tolkien's Shire.

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    1. Thank you ~ I am a huge fan of Tolkien for more years than I care to think about now ~ and I have a copy of The Plants of Middle-earth: Botany and Sub-creation by Dinah Hazell which I am currently using to make some plans for the future of the Garden! ~~~D

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  10. Hi Deborah,
    Very BEAUTIFUL LOVELY images!
    Blessings and warmth, Linnie

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