Winter Blessings and Beauties, Day 35: Sunrise, Sunset

 

Sunrise and sunset are both magical, liminal times. Unfortunately the kind of hours we modern humans usually keep can prevent us from observing both dawn and dusk. Except, of course, in Winter. The upside of the short Winter days is that the sun rises later and sets earlier, making sunrise and sunset much more accessible to us.

When I can, I like to make time to sit and observe the beginning and end of the day. The video above was taken a couple of days ago, sitting on my bench overlooking the valley. Birds were singing the sun to bed, as a thickening mist spread over the folds of the hills. It was so beautiful, so peaceful, that I took a short video to share with you. I hope you like it!

Winter Blessings and Beauties: Day 35

Sunrise, Sunset

When you can, try to take the time to watch the sunrise in the morning and the sunset at night. Observe the changes in light and temperature. Listen to how the soundscape changes, notice any scents carried on the breeze. Can you detect that moment when night becomes day? When day turns to night? How does the energy change? 

 

Winter Blessings and Beauties, Day 34: St Barbara's Twigs

Today, 4th December, is St Barbara's Day. It's uncertain whether she ever existed as a real person, but legend tells us that she was sentenced to death for refusing to renounce her Christian faith. While she was in prison awaiting her execution, she found a dried up cherry twig. She sprinkled it with a little water each day, and miraculously it blossomed, comforting her with its pretty flowers (some versions of the story say it blossomed on the day of her death). 

The story has led to a charming German and Austrian custom where people cut cherry twigs on St Barbara's Day and bring them into their homes - and the warmth causes the tight winter buds to gradually unfold and flower. They are called 'Barbarazweig', which means (St) Barbara's twig(s). If all goes well they are supposed to flower at Christmas - some sources say at Yule. I think this is a lovely idea, and I intend to try it this year.

Winter Blessings and Beauties: Day 34

St Barbara's Twigs

Usually cherry twigs are used for St Barbara's Twigs, but other flowering tree and shrub twigs are suitable, including apples, pears, plums, Japanese quince (chaenomeles), forsythia, witch hazel or lilac.

They should be cut on 4th December (if you want them to flower in time for Christmas) and they need to have been exposed to frost in order for the flowering mechanism to be triggered, so if it's still mild in your area apparently you can put them in the freezer for a couple of days. It sounds drastic, but I suppose they'd have to put up with such cold for longer than a couple of days if they were left out on the tree!

When you bring them in, keep them in a cool room overnight. The next day, soak them in tepid water for an hour or two. Then cut a couple of centimetres off the bottom of the stems, slanting the cut edge and arrange them in a vase. Place the vase in a warm, bright spot and wait... hopefully you will be rewarded with flowers. It is considered especially lucky if they bloom on Christmas Day as it means you have a good year ahead of you..     

Winter Blessings and Beauties, Day 33: Create a Winter Sanctuary Bedroom

 

Curled up in bed is a wonderful place to be during Winter, perhaps more so than at any other time of year! With darkness falling early and the chilly temperatures, what could be better than snuggling into your soft, warm bed with a good book? 

Winter Blessings and Beauties: Day 33

Create a Winter Sanctuary Bedroom

Make your Winter bedroom a special cosy sanctuary where you can dream away the long dark nights.

• Make sure the bed is made up with clean, fresh bedding. Cosy it up with plump pillows, flannelette sheets and plenty of blankets and quilts to nestle under.
• Choose some deliciously scented candles, a vase of flowers, bowl of pot-pourri or a pillow-spray to fragrance the room.
• Have a shawl to hand to wrap around your shoulders if you want to sit up in bed reading so you don't get cold.
• Invest in a hot water bottle with a fluffy cover that you can cuddle up to on seriously chilly nights.
• Consider the lighting - a few lamps dotted around the room, perhaps fitted with warm-coloured light bulbs will shed a soft, restful light. Or string fairy lights around  the room. If you intend to read though, make sure you have adequate light to avoid eyestrain.
• A small stack of books by the bed ensures a choice of reading material - or DVDs if you like watching films in bed!
• Take up a drink or snacks if you like - but make sure you have somewhere safe to put them so they won't get knocked over. Having to shampoo the carpet or change the bedclothes is not a relaxing experience at bed time! It may be safer to take a lidded bottle of water or a flask of hot tea or chocolate.
• A soft, fluffy rug by the bed makes getting out of bed in the mornings a slightly less traumatic experience!

      

 

 

 

Winter Blessings and Beauties, Day 32: Feed the Birds

One of the most satisfying things you can do in winter is to help feed hungry birds and other wildlife. By providing food and fresh water not only do you help them survive periods of harsh weather and scarce resources, but as a bonus you get to see more of them, and probably a wider variety of species than you would normally spot. It's a totally win:win situation. 

Different species of birds have different feeding requirements. Some prefer feeding on the ground, some like a raise platform like a bird table and some are well-adapted to the challenges of feeding whilst hanging from a bird feeder. If you can provide a variety of food and places from which they can access it, so much the better. But if your situation means you can only hang a feeder full of peanuts or scatter seed on the lawn, it will still provide a much needed source of food for someone! Try to ensure they are as safe from predators as possible - don't put the food too near cover which could conceal a stalking cat for example. And don't forget to provide accessible, clean water too. On cold, dry days when their usual water supply has dried up or frozen, the water you put out can literally save lives.

Winter Blessings and Beauties: Day 32

Feed the Birds

Put out fresh water daily in a wide, shallow container which can easily be accessed. On cold days, break the ice on it, or fill it with warm water.

Get into the habit of putting out food for birds. Try to be regular and consistent with what you offer; if birds have become reliant on your generosity, suddenly stopping the supply can be a real hardship for them.

There are a wide variety of feeders available, so you should be able to find something that suits your situation. You can even find ones that adhere to a window, making it easy for you to watch the birds from within your home. 

Make use of a pair of binoculars and a good bird-spotting guide to learn about the birds that visit. You may be surprised how many species you can see!

For more information on attracting birds (and other wildlife) to your garden and feeding them during winter, check out these links:

• The Woodland Trust 
• RSPB
• BBC Wildlife Magazine
• The Natural History Museum
• RSPCA

Winter Blessings and Beauties, Day 31: Recipe - Suet-free Mincemeat

 

A couple of years ago, around about the beginning of December I started craving something specific to eat. Something fruity, something apple-y, something sweet but zesty, something with spices like cinnamon... but I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was my taste buds were hankering for. I Googled recipes for apple cake and fruit cake, but nothing I found really seemed to be what I was looking for. And then one day in the supermarket a box of mince pies caught my eye and I realised - of course! Mincemeat!

For those readers outside the UK I'd better explain what I mean by mincemeat. Mincemeat is a traditional Christmas recipe used as a filling for mincepies, made from dried fruits, apples, sugar, spices and alcohol. It originated in medieval times, probably due to returning Crusaders bringing back with them spices and Middle Eastern recipes that combined them with meat and fruit. Originally mincemeat contained minced meat (such as mutton) - hence the name - and suet. Gradually over the years, meat was dropped from the recipe and mincemeat became a sweet rather than a savoury treat, but suet is still usually included though it's possible these days to buy vegetarian mincemeat, made with vegetable suet.

I was vegetarian for years, and although now I occasionally eat meat or fish, I've never quite understood why it is that suet - vegetarian or not - continues to be used in mincemeat. It doesn't really add anything to the recipe as far as I can tell. This year, I decided to investigate if it was possible to make mincemeat without including it - and it appears it is absolutely possible. Feeling inspired  by this discovery - and having a little more time on my hands due to lessened work hours - I decided to try making my own suet-free mincemeat. I've made my own jams, jellies and marmalade over the years, but for some reason I've never attempted mincemeat before.

In my research I'd found that there's quite a bit of variation in the ingredients of mincemeat. Some recipes included slivered almonds, some cranberries, some mixed peel - and some didn't. Most recipes included alcohol (although there are alcohol-free recipes too), but some used brandy, some whisky, some rum, some port... Mary Berry's suet-free mincemeat recipe substitutes butter for suet, and some vegan versions advocate using margarine or coconut oil instead, but many recipes forego any fat at all.

In the end I decided I could afford to experiment as long as I kept some rough guidelines as to the proportions of ingredients.

Winter Blessings and Beauties: Day 31

Moonroot's Home-made Suet-free Mincemeat Recipe

1 Bramley apple, peeled and cored
125g Raisins
125g Sultanas

125g Currants

A few finely chopped glacé cherries (optional - I put them in because I love them, but I know many people don't!)

Juice and zest of half a lemon

Splash of orange juice

100g sugar (I used Light Muscovado for extra flavour)

Pinch of ground cinnamon

Pinch of ground cloves

A generous splash of your favourite alcohol (I used Cointreau because it was all I had in the house, but use which ever you like - Whisky, Brandy, Rum, Sherry, Port etc)

Method:

Roughly grate the apple into a mixing bowl. Add the dried fruit, sugar and spices and stir well. Pour over the lemon and orange juice and stir in the grated lemon zest. Cover the bowl tightly (I used a saucepan lid) and heat gently for an hour. I did this by placing the bowl on the Rayburn (but not on the hotplate), or you could put it in a cool oven or warm gently on the hob. This will allow the dried fruit to soak up all the lovely spice-infused apple, lemon and orange juice. Remove from the heat and allow to cool before stirring in the alcohol. Spoon into sterilised jars and screw on tight-fitting lids. The alcohol should preserve the mincemeat, but I've opted to keep mine in the fridge to be on the safe side.

This makes a fruity, citrussy mincemeat that I'm very pleased with - but you can adapt the amount of fruit juice/sugar and tweak the other ingredients to tailor the finished product to your own tastes.

Notes:

You can play quite a bit with the ingredients, substituting or adding other dried fruits such as cranberries, chopped apricots or figs. Many mincemeat recipes include nuts - I didn't have any, but you could use chopped almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans or brazils. There's room to experiment with the spices too  - ground cardamom or ginger might be nice. It's important that you add the alcohol last, after the mixture has cooled to ensure the alcohol doesn't evaporate. If you'd like an alcohol-free version, substitute apple juice but bear in mind that alcohol-free mincemeat won't keep as long. 

Using mincemeat

• Traditionally it's used as a filling in small individual shortcrust pastry mince-pies but you can also use it in small or large pies and tarts made with shortcrust, puff or filo pastry.
• Use it as you would jam or jelly in cakes, muffins, traybakes or Bakewell tart
• Mincemeat goes really well with apples, so use it to stuff apples before baking them, or add some mincemeat to an apple pie or crumble
• It also combines well with marzipan, as in this Mincemeat and Marzipan Tart
• There are more lovely ideas here.

Don't forget to leave a mince pie out for Santa on Christmas Eve - it's traditional!

Winter Blessings and Beauties, Day 30: Winter Movie Nights

 

Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine in 'The Apartment' (1960) - an absolutely classic film with a Winter setting.

Immersing yourself in a really good film is a great activity on a Winter evening. Especially if you pull out all the stops with a big bowl of popcorn and a cosy blanket to snuggle under. Light the fire, dim the lights and let yourself fall under the spell of your favourite movie. 

Winter Blessings and Beauties: Day 30

Winter Movie Nights

If you're missing the full cinema experience during lockdown, you could make a special night of it by planning a double feature - watch a film followed by its sequel, or two films which complement each other. Other ways to make movie night more of an 'event' include making home-made tickets to redeem before the film starts (children love making tickets for everyone and then playing the role of cinema attendant, taking the tickets and showing people to their seats with a torch). Or have a fancy dress film night where you all dress as characters from the film you'll be watching - or as your favourite film stars. 

For a real Winter treat, choose a film with a link to the season - either a film set at Christmas/New Year, during Winter, or one with lots of snow! Below is a list of great films which all have a Winter theme to get you started. Lots of different genres though - drama, comedy, animation, children's, musical, romance, horror... hopefully there's something for everyone.  

• Frozen (2013)
• Fargo (1996)
• While You Were Sleeping (1995)
• Groundhog Day (1993)
• The Apartment (1960)
• The Thing (1982)
• Ice Age (2002)
• Happy Feet (2006)
• National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
• Home Alone (1990)
• Serendipity (2001)
• Bridget Jones' Diary (2001)
• It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
• Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
• Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)
• The Polar Express (2004)
• The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
• White Christmas (1954)

What's your favourite Winter film?

Winter Blessings and Beauties, Day 29: A Long, Hot Bath

A long, hot bath is probably the last thing you'd choose in the middle of summer - but on a chilly winter day it's a lovely idea. Usually I shower because it's the quickest option, but on my day off today I enjoyed a long, leisurely bath and it was wonderful! Some relaxing me-time, spent soaking in hot, deliciously-scented water felt so indulgent. It helped unknot the tension I'd been carrying in my neck and shoulders (and appalled Mandrake the cat, who sat by the bath the whole time I was in it looking horrified that his human had been stupid enough to get so wet).

Winter Blessings and Beauties: Day 29

Indulge in a Long, Hot Bath

Try to find some time to yourself when you won't be disturbed - perhaps turn off your phone/take it off the hook. Prepare some lovely fluffy towels for when you emerge. Choose your favourite bath products (I love Lush for this), light a candle (or lots of candles!), take some reading material with you and maybe a drink (A glass of wine? Herbal tea?), or some chocolates. Soak as long as you like, feeling your tensions dissolving. Afterwards, dry off with your fluffy towels and dress in warm and comfortable clothes. 

And don't forget to reassure the cat that it's OK - you really won't dissolve.