White Birch

 It’s Winter Solstice today, or St Thomas’s Day as it used to be known.

“St Thomas, St Thomas grey,
the longest night and the shortest day.”

In the oldest calendar, today was St Lucy’s Day.

“Lucy Light,
shortest day and longest night.”

Her day is now 13th December.

It used to be traditional to give to the poor and needy on St Thomas’s Day, to make sure everyone could enjoy a good Christmas. Sometimes the poor would go Thomasing to seek charity.  I love the winter solstice as the time when the sun starts to return to us here in the northern hemisphere. It’s a symbol of rebirth of light, and renews the relationship between Light and Dark.

We went gathering greenery from the woods  to make Christmas bouquets, but didn’t find enough light coloured things so the result is rather dark. I’ll be out in the garden tomorrow to cut some variegated pittosporum  we are lucky to have inherited in this garden. Always useful.



This image is one of our next door neighbour's white birches, which I can see from the house and the garden.  All the pleasure and none of the work - they have to wash it each year to keep it looking white. You can see why with the green tinge forming here.
 
 I wish Happy Winter Solstice to all Northern Blippers and Happy Summer Solstice to our friends in the Southern Hemisphere.