Tenacious Winter, She Breathes, She Does Not Yet Sleep.

But close you eyes against the sun, for this golden haze will bring a memory,

a memory to warm your skin.

A Redolent Air Comes Stealing.

You know that feeling, this time of year, when you step out into the still dark garden, into the early morning, after the frost has gone, and the air tingles with tentative birdsong, and you pause and look to one another, searching in the deep blue shadows for the others surprise.

The air is warm! And you both smile and move off the step and into the day.

And all day your eyes are on the skies, your ears are pricked, your nose may even twitch, your bones just know.
Spring is somewhere, hidden still, shy and not quite ready, but heralded by every feathered harbinger that cannot keep their tongue, by the teasing air that startles your skin, sets it aquiver, by the sun that seems caught in the trembling reeds, caught in the evening that stays a little longer.

And even though you know the cold is not done with us, and the frost may well be there tomorrow, still, you have Sense-ed the Spring.

And she is not so far away.

When At Last This Night Is Upon Us, Fie On It!!

We are firmly inside the door of the new year. Shh, pause and listen for a spell. We do not look over our shoulder as we hear the quiet click behind us.

No.

Hipstamatic photos.

Instead we gather around us those dear ones that mean something to us, we pull tight the lovely threads that have slipped and loosened, carefully, with sure and steady fingers we weave them back into the fabric that is Us. And there they lie once more, caught fast, held tight, blending brightly and perfectly, just where they always were.

We have spent the last week catching up with family and friends, establishing new bonds,  reaffirming old ones, attempting to stay warm.
Tonight, the house is quiet, little heads already slumber on fragrant pillows, sleep staving off the inevitability of school tomorrow.
After almost a month off, between snow and holidays, we brace ourselves for dawn.

Fie!! Fie!! Oh, most dastardly drudge! We do not like thee, no we do NOT!!

We DO like pajama days and lie-ins, and games late into the night,

and snowmen and endless, lazy meals with dearlings, (and a glass of wine or two along with it,)

and nowhere in particular to be, and a long neglected clock that may or may not still be correct,

and pancake mornings that seem to go on and on and on forever, 

and many a moonlit dash through the sparkling garden, down the dark, dark path, 

into the welcome glow, for tea or games or chat,

and the journeys together to join hands with family,

 like the needle that pulls the thread, tracing back over each stitch yet again,

and the gathering of happiness that closes in around us,

and most of all,

time.

The Time Between The Years.

So Christmas has passed, 

and we lie quietly in the time between the years, when one year is closing and another preparing to open, when we reflect on what has passed and wonder what is to come.

And we pause.

Dawn, Christmas Day.

We have been spending our time quietly, enjoying the snow while it lasted, and now that it's gone we are glad to spend it with family, and dear friends, catching up and just being together. Celebrating a tiny new arrival in our family, a most perfect Winter Solstice gift.

I'd like to dedicate this post to my family, to these people who are my dependables, my unwavering bastions. Without them I would not be who I am today.
And I give thanks for the blessing, the honour that is mine, to share this privileged life I have been granted, with this group of incredible, amazing people. Truly, we have been touched with gold, haven't we?
I wish we could all be together tonight, this special night that closes this year behind us. So wherever you are as you celebrate, know that across the miles you are in my heart.

~*~

And, warmest blessings to YOU dearest readers,

for a peaceful New Year.

May it be shared with loved ones, 

and may this coming year bring us all magic and blessings.

Thank you all for your continued support and comments, 

it's what makes Milkmoon possible.

Love Ciara.

Safely Found And Homeward Bound, At Last.

And so, the latest episode in this little Redwork story is finally finished. Nothing like a looming deadline such as Christmas to give you a little push, is there? This was very slow in the making due to my limited free time to stitch, (with even reading still on the long finger). But it has been finished, at last.

My very patient Mum finally gets a piece! And now that Christmas Day is past I can share it with you.

And as always, the minute I finish one I am keen to start the next. Hopefully it will be slightly quicker in the making than this one was. But I do believe I say that every time...

I still have no real idea where this little story is going or how I will present it in the end, especially as I keep giving away these little stitcheries. But there is something here, I believe. And I have no doubt I will know what it is when I am finished.