A cold day coming in the middle of a mild winter. Snowdrops and winter aconites are in bud and my favourite shrub, Hamamelis, is flowering with delicate yellow tassels.Winter flowers bring their own joy: cream hellebores, Daphne and Winter Jasmine, reminding me of the garden in Lucy Boston's 'Children of Green Knowe' and Patrick Synge's 'Flowers in Winter' which surveys the possibilities of having colour in the garden even in the coldest months.
Today is Shrove Tuesday and our prescribed Lent reading is a course based on the Psalms.
'The Promise of Winter' is a book I have enjoyed for many years with meditations based on psalms, accompanied by beautiful black and white photographs of snow drifts and snowscapes.
'Rather than looking ahead to spring, 'The Promise of Winter' explores the signs of promise and presence found in the winter of the soul. It is this presence and promise that provide spiritual strength to help people live during ordinary days and fallow seasons.'
I find it comforting to observe these bleak landscapes; there is a simplicity in winter following Christmas festivities we need to embrace: a time of quiet and reflection befor spring comes and days lengthen once more.'Farmers know that in the rhythm of the year and the nature of the soil, there is a reason for fields to lie fallow for a season - winter.' Enjoy it while it lasts.
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