Meandering along

Happy New Year - yes, rather belated I know...is there a cut off date? I like the French habit of sending New Year cards instead of Christmas ones. It seems to be a much gentler way of doing things - no missed last posting dates, or mad dashes to crowded post offices.

I'm a bit late, partly because it always takes a little time to settle into a new year - the shock to the system of going back to school after gloriously slobbing around for the Christmas holidays, and partly because yet again our computer is on the blink. It won't connect to the internet, so I can only blog with a borrowed computer, which doesn't have all my pictures on it - it's all a bit fiddly for my non-techie wee brain

Do you like this lovely card we had from my mother-in-law? She's a truly wonderful artist, and I have had this card on our kitchen table ever since it arrived.  One thing I love about this time of year is the tiny lengthening of the days, and as the light returns, I see our energy and creativity returning too. So a broken computer has also been a great reason to get outdoors or start on the things I have had gently brewing in my mind for a while.  More about them next time...in the meantime, come and have a wee wander around and see where I live, now it's light enough to get outdoors. 

Do you know about our ridiculous-looking chickies? We do love them - not so much the big holes scratched into the garden - but their sweet nature and crazy looking hairdos. They are always a good sign of life! And they are still giving us a few eggs.

 There are lots of lovely places to go for a wander around here, even in winter, it is really beautiful. I feel very blessed to live here. My children have taught me to look up close and not miss the details. I'm not sure I would have seen these amazing ice formations if they hadn't been shown to me.

 Some of the neighbours...they look fierce but they are softies really, the calves look like teddies.

This is our local castle - a tiny little one, as castles go, and not really designed to keep out invaders. I'm sure the heating bill is horrendous,  but I wouldn't mind the views from the top floor. Do you see the stepped gables? I wonder if the crows use them for hopping up and down on?

Just down the road is the local Free Church. I love the simplicity of this building, it fits right into the landscape, every bit as much as the castle, perhaps even more so.

Well, I'm loving the longer days, my little wanderings around and the rising urge to be creative, the sense of new possibilities for the year . And you? What's happening in the beginnings of this year? Hopefully I can be back again in this space again soon to catch up and mark the days before they speed away.

See you soon.