Thursday 7 January 2021

12 Days of Treats Finished and Now Onto January Proper

12 days of Christmas treats all finished, I definitely won't  do it again next year.... although nothing I bought will go to waste it did seem a bit extravagant, especially as I had enough chocolate and biscuits given me to last for months so didn't need to have bought myself any. 

Now I can get back to normal posts

 

 A January Morning

The glittering roofs are still with frost; each worn
Black chimney builds into the quiet sky
Its curling pile to crumble silently.
Far out to westward on the edge of morn,
The slender misty city towers up-borne
Glimmer faint rose against the pallid blue;
And yonder on those northern hills, the hue
Of amethyst, hang fleeces dull as horn.
And here behind me come the woodmen's sleighs
With shouts and clamorous squeakings; might and main
Up the steep slope the horses stamp and strain,
Urged on by hoarse-tongued drivers—cheeks ablaze,
Iced beards and frozen eyelids—team by team,
With frost-fringed flanks, and nostrils jetting steam. 

Archibald Lampman, a Canadian Poet (1861-1899)

 

The weather in January could be terrible with heavy snow and hard frosts or maybe just dull and grey, whichever, it will probably be cold but not as cold as centuries past. 

Many old weather sayings look forward to snow ......

When oak trees bend with snow in January, good crops may be expected.

In January much rain and little snow is bad for mountains, valleys and trees

 

 


Am I the only person who always -  without fail - every year - finds one Christmas decoration left after all the rest are packed away? 

 

Back Tomorrow
Sue 

47 comments:

  1. It didn’t seem all that long ago that we used to have -5C to -10C night temperatures.

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    1. I still have a bedroom window open a little every night and this morning was the coldest it's been when I woke up but there was no frost and no wind

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  2. I think it's obligatory to find at least one Christmas decoration somewhere in the house during January :)
    It's a cold and frosty morning here, the paths and roads are icy. X

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  3. I always remember Februaries as a lot worse than Januaries as a child. Were they really, I wonder?
    xx

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    1. I remember lots of snow in half term week when the children were younger and I was doing school holiday childminding so a total of 7 children aged 3 to 10 to entertain

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  4. I knew an old gentleman who kept one Christmas bauble hanging in his tiny flat all year round. I think it was to remind him of Ebenezer Scrooge's declaration at the end Christmas Carol. "I will keep Christmas in my heart, and honour it all year".

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    1. I'd better get the robin out again - or maybe not as I'm moving ......sometime

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  5. Always find one! Hadn't until I read this and there it is!

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  6. We are with Angela - we deliberately keep one Xmas decoration all year, a gold heart-shaped glass one with a tartan ribbon. It's to remind us to keep those who have passed in our hearts and honour them.

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  7. Don't find decorations, but when I used to have a real tree, I was still hoovering up pine needles in July! xx

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    1. I keep finding bits off my artificial tree! I'm not taking it with me - it's getting really tatty

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  8. Yes I still have the ornament after my D. Put all the Christmas things away, which I think t will leave up for a bit longer it's a plaque depicting the Glass House at Kew Gardens in the snow a favourite place of mine before I moved.
    Hazel c uk🌈🌈🌈

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    1. That sounds pretty - a nice thing to enjoy all year

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  9. We've had heavy snow, hard frosts and dull and grey days already this year and it's only the 7th! My daughter who lives 20 miles away from us has heavy snow this morning. Ahh, the joys of January in Scotland!

    I always find a stray ornament. Every year. Without fail. I haven't found this year's one yet!

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  10. Yep, there's always one that escapes capture. I had left the 'bauble earrings' on Alan's large metal tractor man back home in Wales and then last night here at the flat I noticed a sprig of fake holly at the base of the television.

    Now Christmas is well and truly packed away!!

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    1. My box of Christmas stuff is packed and ready to move

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  11. I've follwed your daily treats in wonder. I'd treat myself to a few dry cream crackers for the next few days after all that.

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    1. I've not eaten them all yet! Just one-a-day liqueurs and the cashews have gone so far

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  12. Always find a few decs kicking around. Always leave a couple of baubles (not the best ones) out for the cat to knock around, too.

    Just had two books I ordered arrive yesterday, which'll give me something to read now Christmas is over.

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    1. My cat would crash around in the middle of the night if she had anything to chase!

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  13. What a beautiful poem! Thank you for sharing it! xoxo

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    1. From a little book of Country poems that I have

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  14. Geez, I hate when I find that random decoration. Usually in March. Usually in plain sight. SMH.

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    1. It's odd how one always hides in plain sight!

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  15. Yep, found one loitering in the lobby this morning...standard!

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  16. We packed everything away on New Year's Eve, forgetting the wreath on our front door. Ah, well. Lovely poem for January/Winter.

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  17. On reading your post, I glanced up and saw - my little glass Robin hanging in the side window. In plain sight. I knew straightaway that he would be there when I saw your picture! And - just now I realised that I had forgotten the two stone lions either side of my front door; they wear Santa hats and a scarf of tinsel for Christmas . . . so I've just been and undressed them! Oops! Thanks for the reminder.

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  18. That is a cute ornament that you could leave out all year. I have one I never put away - a little beaded pillow with the word "JOY". I can always use more joy!

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  19. You are not alone in finding the decoration. Much of mine is still up but I took down all the Santas. And today I found another! Thanks for visiting my blog -- aren't the British Crime Library books good -- and such gorgeous covers!

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    1. I heard Martin Edwards- who edits the British Library Crime Classic short story collections- speak at a book festival and he said in this case the covers really DID sell the books at the beginning

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  20. You are not alone! Every year I find at least one Christmas item I have overlooked. I think it's become part of the tradition.

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  21. I know exactly what you mean. Before I retired I would invariably be out of the country when the decorations had to come down. My partner was in charge, used to like coming back and seeing how many he had missed.

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    1. I feel so much better knowing it's not just me!

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  22. I imagine in folklore it is either lucky or unlucky to find the missed one - fingers crossed for the former.

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  23. I always leave at least one decoration behind even though I do a thorough search of each room.

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  24. Nope, in my case the one decoration left are the candy canes from my tree.

    God bless.

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  25. I'm looking at your "Christmas" decoration that was left behind and was thinking, oh look, she has her spring decorations out (especially at seeing your green grass and budding shrubs through the window.) If you look out my window you see some old snow and lots of mud and nothing green! As for decorations, my tree is still up until Sunday. Then I'll leave out the small white trees, the lighted greenery on the banister and the red/black Buffalo plaid soft goods around (table runner, sofa pillows.) I didn't put out all my decorations this year so don't have as many to put away.

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