Days decreasing, nights increasing.

November is leaving with gale and gust. A southwest wind blowing the 30th night out and the first day of December in. November, your days have been full of weather. A friend said to me last week, "it doesn't matter what way you face or stand, the rain will find its way into you!" It was coming from all directions.

November is also the month I opened my small online shop a year ago. Since then, unexpected travels for my prints. The little squirrel above flew to Australia, to a Chestnut Farm (I never new there was such a thing!) to sweeten the dreams of a 4 year old daughter. "St. Kevin and The Blackbird" to Canada, a present for a husband who is a fan of the poet Seamus Heaney. And a daughter in Norway who thought "Knitting and Tea" reminded her of her mother - a tea-loving knitter. (Thank you all for your support!)

Where will they go to next year? Like the November winds, blowing where they will.

Take a seat

Take a seat. Or pull up a chair.
Just show up. Every morning. Or every evening. Or in the afternoon.
Do you have a chair to sit? To be. A seat for a few moments of meditation, a few minutes of reflection. Or reverie. A seat to watch the sunrise or sunset.

February has blown in with the North wind. I heard a weather forecaster describe the north wind as a "clean" wind. Clean and fresh and cold she has ushered February in.

Cherry blossom hellos.

A hello from my back door step this morning. A gusty wind is blowing all the petals down from the trees. Last week it was really Spring. Surprises of hidden clusters of flowers. Bright colours peeping out from here and there. Clouds sailing across clear blue skies. Birdsong accompanied slow sunsets (bright til 9pm now!!). Warm, gentle breezes that have become a strong, stormy wind today. Nice company, the wind, on my walk. Nice sound company too now that I am back inside, listening to the gales racing and chasing outside the house.

The year's at the Spring

The first day of Spring, though nobody has told the weather. Wintry colours and sounds all around. Splashing through puddles of Burnt Umber and Paynes Grey. Wild wind painting crimson and red onto cheeks, each face a different shade. The wind also catching and carrying voices here and there to who knows where. Bell tinkling over coffee shop door. Cup of coffee waiting to warm up cold fingers again while raindrops and wind continue their chorus on the window.

At my desk, different colours to those outdoors, wishes for Spring: pinks, reds, lilacs, and drops of Spring shower blues.

Hints and hopes of Spring, goodbye to January, hello to February :)

Wind blown Christmas wishes

Twinkling lights. firelight, candle light. Even a few floating snowflakes. Christmas is blowing in this year here with great gusts, swirling winds and swaying branches.

Warm, peaceful and merry wishes.

Nollaig Shona. Happy Christmas.

St. Elmo's fire

A weather phenomenon.
A bright blue or violet glow, appearing like fire sometimes, from tall, sharply pointed structures such as masts. Often accompanying the glow is a hissing or buzzing sound.
Some sailors saw the glow as an unlucky sign; it interfered with compass readings because of the electricity in the air. Others took it as a sign of the presence of St. Erasmus's (Elmo's) protection, the patron saint of sailors.

What must it be like to be at sea today? Stormy gale warnings forecast for this weekend.

Windy. Gaofar. Vindful. Venteux. Winderig. Ventoso

A week of windy days. Windy outside, causing the daffodils to turn and stretch almost down to the ground. Windy inside at my painting desk too where a tiny boat is trying to sail the wind-tossed seas. 

They make it!

Gaoth, wind, viento, vent

It has been a windy May. Yesterday the wind led the rain in a merry dance. I stood under a tree til it passed, grateful for it's green dry shelter, watching them dance. Sunny today, so the wind chases shadows across the grass and the trees toss their arms about in laughter.