Wassail

My cold progresses, my sleep broken, and the rain heavy in the dark morning, so we ran a little late in our routines today.

To avoid the mud we took Merlin to the coast and walked by the sea and in relatively well pathed fields adjoining it. The streams were flowing fast, some had burst their banks and were filling fields and roads with water. The wind blew briskly, sending Merlin’s ears around in all directions! He coped well, even ignoring the large flock (100s) of geese feeding on the crops.

On our return we passed this apple orchard, which I also photographed in spring and summer. This area used to contain many fruit orchards and plant nurseries. Most are gone. It seemed appropriate to be passing at this time of year when wassailng was traditionally done to scare away any bad spirits and waken the fruit trees in the hope of a good fruiting year ahead.

This afternoon I’ve stayed inside, made mince pies and explored a couple of new books which arrived today in good time for Christmas reading.

Hoping this finds you well. Best wishes.