Slow Sunday, Christmas lights, midwinter stillness & a recipe

Black bean miso stew with lime & cardamon

I have made an audio of this letter, on my iPad so not professional quality, but one of my sons has offered to learn about my recording equipment and teach me how to use it, so my recordings will get better and better!

It’s one of those mid-winter days, where the sky is white-grey with cold air and the silence wraps itself around everything in the street. People staying cosy inside, even next doors cat is not out, fluffy swishing tail curled up and staying warm.

I did see a blackbird in the leafless tree out front. And then it was gone. That’s how it is as we move towards midwinter isn’t it. Lots of stillness and silence until spring comes again. Unless you live in a city.

Today, I sipped my warm mug of tea and then piled on jumpers to keep me company as I made my way out under light grey skies for another warm drink, somewhere. This somewhere was warm and bustling with kind hearts and cheerful chatter. People happy to see each other, taking pleasure in the simple things—laughing, chatting, munching and slurping. Nourishing bodies and minds.

The other night, I saw so many Christmas lights painting people’s homes in all colours and designs, as I sat in the back of a car. This brought me joy. The dark sky suddenly lit up with people’s creations of Christmas cheer as we turned bends along the long, twisty wintery road. And, on the way home, we saw a red fox with bushy tail dart across the road, into a field, then out of sight.

Joy dots

Photo by Sean Gentle—pixabay

Frosty fields

Blackbird song

Nearly the solstice

Holly and ivy

Still, midwinter moments

Making jam

Eating chutney

Firework trees

Next doors cat

Family

Friendship

midweek stillness

Red fox with big bushy tail

Christmas lights

Mince pies

Mulled wine

Recipe

Black bean miso stew with lime & cardamon

I baked a small squash—burgess vine buttercup—utterly gorgeous, tasted of chestnuts with velvet texture, not at all watery, just cosy and comforting.

I put the squash in the oven whole for about an hour—depends on size of squash—then sauted garlic, carrots and sweet potato with black pepper, turmeric and cardamon. Next I added vegetable stock, beans, grated ginger and simmered until the vegetables were cooked. A few minutes before serving I added the miso—you don’t want to boil miso it will kill off all those beneficial microorganisms. I took the squash out of the oven, sliced in half, scooped out the seeds and served the miso stew inside with wedges of lime and cilantro.

Happiness

About ten years ago I was working as an apprentice on a project—mentioned here—and we were taught bushcraft skills. The above picture was taken on Dartmoor in freezing conditions. We were learning how to camp out and stay warm in minus degree weather—it was -2 degrees. We had walked through one of those rainforests I talked about—above link—which mingled with newer conifers. When we came to a clearing we made a fire, then collected bare branches to make the frame of a shelter and conifer branches to cover it.

We covered the ground underneath where we would sleep with the conifer to make a mattress.

Then we put our sleeping bags like sausages in a row on top of that conifer mattress, and the little fire you can see with the tripod in the first two pictures, was stretched out when we went to sleep later on, into a trench that went the length of our shelter, so that every body stayed warm. Then we created a reflector behind the fire. We were so hot we had to sleep on top of the sleeping bags. I was thinking about why this was so much fun. I think it was because we worked as a team, we were getting exercise, we had a mission which we achieved, we celebrated, and our basic needs were met. The happiness we all felt as we fell asleep to the fire sparks and embers, went bone deep. I was thinking, it doesn’t take much to be happy, just the right basic conditions, that, sometimes when we’re not happy we think there is something wrong with us. Perhaps there isn’t, perhaps we just need to create the right conditions. I’d love to know what you think, perhaps you’ll tell me in the comments.

Solstice

Photo by Marc Clinton—unsplash

This coming Thursday/Friday is the solstice, the darkest shortest day in the northern hemisphere; midwinter. I’ve always loved this time of year. The grey white days that end so early filled with Christmas lights going up and the holly, ivy and mistletoe being cut down. I used to think that the clusters of mistletoe high up in the trees were birds nests, until I got close one day and saw to my surprise that they were bundles of mistletoe growing on the tree branches. These three plants together are symbolic of the hope of new life, as the days start to get lighter, albeit ever so slowly. Ivy is symbolic of friendship while holly symbolises stillness, rest and reflection. Mistletoe represents love, goodwill and peace. Together wreaths are made from them to put on doors, welcoming in the Sun, new life, light, peace, friendship and reminding us that this, is still a time for stillness and reflection as, ever so gradually, the days start to get longer, sweeping us towards spring, when new beginnings arrive once more, with seeds planted in warm living soil, to harvest in the summer. But, for now, it’s cosy times, resting, seeking out friendship and, believing in the new.

I’d love to know what you are reflecting on, and if there are any seeds you will be planting come the spring.

Photo by Tarotize—pixabay

Wishing you the warmest,

Lucy x