Midwinter Day

Here we are at the shortest day of the year. It always feels special to know now that we have got to this point and from now on the light is returning. However this is also a time to celebrate darkness. All those Christmas lights would be nothing without the darkness. The stars are always up there but we only see them when the sun has gone, and they are at their most spectacular when even the moon is away; the same goes for the few nights we can see Aurora Borealis.
So today is special for both the light and the dark, and we are fortunate enough to have had a brilliant winter day to celebrate this occasion. The sun shone for the almost 5 hours it was up. There was very little wind so the minus 12°C felt crisp and fresh, without being dreadfully cold. It’s also helpful that the air is very dry because the lakes and the inshore sea are ice covered.  This is how winter should be!
We took pictures as the sun came up, when we were on top of Beacon hill, and as I walked along the North Sound, so the Blip problem was more which pictures to leave out rather than which one(s) to publish. Finally I decided the boat in the North Sound ice was to be the main picture , while the sunrise from our living room, with the Nativity and the frost feathers would be the extra. Then I threw in a couple more extras because choosing was so hard!
So, Happy Solstice readers. For most it’s happy Midwinter, for a few real southerners Happy Midsummer.  The year has turned!