Winter arrived on our Island today, covering the land with a light blanket of snow. Magical - beautiful - fun - we embraced our first snowfall of the year.
But the darkness is never far away at this time of year, and the days grow ever shorter. It is good, then, to draw the blinds and find the warmth and light within.
Come in and sit by the hearth and warm yourself. Throw another peat on the fire - there is plenty in the creel there.
Ah - that's better. Look at those flames, how they crackle and burn. For over three thousand years this precious black earth has been part of this land. Three thousand times the sun. So much has happened in that time - so many peoples, civilisations and souls have come and gone. David was King of the Israelites; Tutankamen reigned and died, leaving his treasure for us to find so many centuries later; iron was still unknown, and bulls still played in the Labyrinth of Knossos. Kings and courtiers* rising and falling over time and space All that history blazing up in front of us, spiralling upward in its fragrant smoke. Yet the Earth endures it all. It supports us, feeds us, warms us, and takes us back into it's bosom - regenerating.
It is good to think of these things and to give thanks.
*The Star o' Rabbie Burns (Thomson and Booth)
I bet that is very cosy around the fire. The first photo would make a lovely Christmas card x
ReplyDeleteso beautiful... thank you for sharing your words and photos
ReplyDeleteSo beautiful!
ReplyDeletesuch gorgeous thoughts....thank you for reminding me of the eternal...
ReplyDeletemuch warmth and light to you and your beautiful ones.
xo
I so wish we had an open fire! And the first photo looks just like a Christmas card! Beautiful xx
ReplyDeleteThat fire looks so inviting, and mind-blowing all at the same time.
ReplyDeleteOh, lovely. I miss a snowy winter, living in the American Deep South.
ReplyDeleteThe first photo is breathtaking.
ReplyDeleteWhat a surprise to get up this morning and everything covered in white - snow, I love it !!!
ReplyDeleteYou are right, I don't know if it's because it makes you feel like a big kid or because it makes you realise what an insignificant dot we all are on this land or the world for that matter but somehow it quietly, often unnoticed regrows or replenishes.
I remember years ago, driving like a woman possessed in a very rural area (very like your first photo )turning a corner and wow !
I actually stopped the car and there was only me, a very perplexed sheep and this amazing snow covered view!
Sometimes, we need to be reminded to take a minute just to realise how lucky we are to be able to borrow all this for a wee while .
The croft looks beautiful in the snow. So very peaceful and quiet. Of course, the inside looks so warm and cozy.
ReplyDeleteLook at all that lovely snow....such a beautiful photo! Your home looks so cozy and warm:) Hope your enjoying your holiday so far! - barefoot mama
ReplyDeleteIt is good to snuggle in, whilst thinking...only 16 days to the Solstice and more light again!!
ReplyDeleteOooh peat fire. And oooooooooooh snow. Looks lovely, so very lovely.
ReplyDeleteIt's all so beautiful Jacqui.
ReplyDeleteI hope your day is a lovely one.
You make it look an sound so magical but I'm sure have to learn how to adapt to your surroundings! ;-)
ReplyDeleteWe miss our open fire SO much, there is a picture of it on the 'Feline' blog post and every time I flick past I sigh lol. No snow here in Angus yet, it seems to be to the North South and West of us haha. Oscar cant wait for snow, maybe I can send him to you in an envelope lol.
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xxx
I've been thinking about you as the BBC weather map has shown gales and snow driving across the Outer Hebrides this week.
ReplyDeleteYour peat looks lovely - given my peat allergy I'm happy to look at it from a safe distance!
mmmm xx lovely x
ReplyDeleteLove that fire. I thought it must have snowed with you this week.
ReplyDeleteMuch love, stay warm.xxx
Wow just gorgeous. I also love how this season draws us in and we add light with candles and lights on the tree.
ReplyDeleteThat building looks lonely, overall cold and beautiful. Just perfect coming in to a lovely fire like yours.
ReplyDeleteI'm just reading The Kerracher Man, so these photos are very apt.
We have had hail, rain, it's damp cold and I'm just sitting at the computer upstairs thinking I should put my mitts on.
I miss my open fire having moved, still hoping to replace the god awful electric one we have here. But your words and pictures brought back the memory of the smell of peat burning. Heavenly. Even tho it comes from the earth!
ReplyDeleteJacqui that first winter photo was so beautiful I got quite moved!
ReplyDeleteJust takes your breath away doesn't it?
I'm sorting a wood burner out now for my house. I wondered how different the smell of peat was to wood when it's on the fire. What does it smell like?
What a WARMING post! Peats are amazing things. Whenever we came back from our Auntie Mya's house in Donegal, our clothes and suitcases had that lovely smell of peats. I've heard stories about rings and other treasures that people have unearthed while digging them.
ReplyDeleteWe think of Lewis when we see the weather forecast and these photos confirm our imaginings. A cosy fire, curtains closed against the elements everyone safe inside. A good feeling.
ReplyDeleteI want to move in!! It looks so so cozy in front of that fire! And how wintery and bitter cold it looks where you are !! Gorgeous! Kimmy xx
ReplyDeletewhat lovely warmth and light inside your cosy home. it is in comparison to the cold outside. when we lived in Scotland for a short while, it was during one of the coldest winters they'd had and when i see a picture like the one with the water in it, it makes me shiver as i remember the bitter cold. somehow water in a picture makes it feel colder. i love the inside of your house. it's beautiful.
ReplyDeleteYour words and photos .......beautiful!
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