Still, cold days

Once the leaves have fallen, the city takes on a starkness. The bare trees stand like ghostly sentinels, branches reaching skyward, allowing the more feeble sunlight to reach further. The sun, when it rises around 8.20am struggles to reach it's high point of the day then fade again by mid afternoon, setting by just after 4pm on the shortest day. It's very low to the southern horizon and usually requires sunglasses when driving! Still there is beauty if you look for it. The following reflections show this, just look around you and it's there for the observant. Though most people only venture out if the have to, heads bent against the cold, scurrying to their next warm building, or out for a quick cigarette or a cup of coffee, that serves to warm the hands as much as the inner person. The still cold days are best. If it's frosty, it promises sunshine rather than the cold grey wet or damp days. The cold seeps into the bones and the sun has no warmth, but it shines, trying and promising to return in the summer.

Reflections

Beware the man in the red suit!

It was fun to help Scott dress up in his Santa suit - more a St. Nick coat, to hand out pressies to the children at church. His Ho Ho Ho was very effective and the children were too excited to notice any accent. I wonder if they even think about what accent Santa has??!!

Christmas dinner was a fun affair, lots of vegies, turkey and stuffing (from Marks and Spencer) and a Fortnum and Mason pudding all the way from the UK and amazing Brandy sauce. Oh yum!! Lunch was around 2pm and we felt so full that the pudding sufficed as dinner about 7pm.

Our tree was only small, but suited our place and it was lovely to turn the light on at 4pm of an afternoon to cheer up the place.

All things Christmas!

A Northern Hemisphere Christmas

Having come from the Southern Hemisphere, there is nothing like a Northern Hemisphere Christmas. It's like all those cards we used to get years ago have come alive! Dark afternoons and evenings, candles, fir trees (not pinus radiata branches) lots and lots of lights, people rugged up, singing carols...somehow it seems more logical to be cold at Christmas, instead of being warm, sunny and waiting for it to get dark to view the lights.

Wreaths on doors are a big feature in Dublin, so many styles and so creative. Lots of white fairy lights in trees, outside and inside. Shops all lit up. And not all decorated from November, but in December.

There is nothing like popping into the French Paradox with friends for a Christmas drink, the fir trees with the wine glasses as decorations! Mulled wine! beautiful warm red wine, with spices and orange rind...

Going out, rugged up in a warm red coat, with hat pulled down over the ears, gloves, a scarf..steamy foggy breath as you laugh...peeling off layers as you enter a friend's house...hanging your coat on the pile on the newell post...

A quick walk in the park..seeing robins with their red breast, boldly 'bounching' up to you with an enquiring look on their faces, no fear of the cold

And of course feeding the deer sugar cubes down at Enniskerry was a delight!

Christmas in Dublin