Winter Has Finally Come

The Cailleach is calling; winter has finally come. It did not come in with a whimper or a quiet step, it came in with winds howling, ice in the air and rain lashing the land. It came with grey skies, black clouds and a sense that the season had finally arrived. The Oak above illustrates the hue that we experienced, the photo is not edited or filtered, it is the original, natural photo I took and it shows the mood of Mother Nature yesterday.

It is now mid July and up until this point, winter has been quite mild – I have tomatoes still growing and ripening and chillies doing the same. Both plants should be dead (tomato) and dormant (chilli) by this time but they are not; they are choosing to continue growing as though the season is still theirs. St John’s Wort is still flowering, it has not stopped since October last year even though this herb is generally at its peak during the Summer Solstice. However this milder weather has meant that the vegie gardens are growing fantastically well, everything is flourishing and getting growth on it which I love; it means that we’ll get a decent harvest.

Winter is my favourite season; it is the time of year where I feel more productive and introspective at the same time. It is when I birth new things for the shop, experiment, create and live in my little bubble. I enjoy early spring too because when everything begins to wake up, it feels electric, fresh and ready to be born but winter is my happy place. Even though the days are starting to get lighter for longer, it seems that the cold weather is going to start showing up and being present and I can’t wait!

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