Winter Solstice today. December 21st. Shortest day

A gift from our friends in Cornwall arrived earlier this morning.
It will go down well at teatime!
We are having to go and do some last minute Christmas shopping later, as a present I ordered for our friend’s little girl is delayed!
As is the one I have bought for Stephen (on December 14th).
No use getting frustrated about it. It’s the first year this has happened.
But I would have liked my patient lovely husband to have been able to open it on Christmas Day,
It is a blustery mild day, and has been showery first thing.
At the moment as the clouds are whizzing across the sky there are fitful bursts of brightness.
The Winter solstice was at 9.21am today. The first official day of Winter.
The robin is singing again and Jackdaws are gathering in groups at the tops of the trees across the road.
The Great Spotted Woodpecker and his Missus have been coming to the fatball feeders regularly this past week, along with the Nuthatch,
But our usual Blackbirds have disappeared, This time last year one of them waited by the kitchen window for his sultanas each morning.
Still plenty of coal tits, blue tits and great tits. They seem to be thriving.
Time to go and have a mug of tea.
I hope everyone has a good weekend.
I appreciate that Christmas can be difficult for some people for lots of reasons.