Seen yesterday:
The alder,
stripped bare in Winter,
twinkled with stars
in the midnight sky.
The ash,
leafless but hung with keys,
played host to a flock of goldfinches
- their red and gold patches
shone in the mid day sun.
Sometimes nature puts on her own Christmas show. What we really need now is a white Christmas (even if it is only hoar frost)
Oh to have a white christmas! (Think of us as we eat a traditional British christmas lunch in the sizzling heat.)
ReplyDeleteSuch a pretty picture in my mind of the alder twinkling with stars.
I have fallen behind on your blog. Must take a day or two to catch up. Love the new picture for your banner. The sun shining on icy trees can be like diamonds.
ReplyDeleteHello Weaver,
ReplyDeleteI like that alder image too. Don't see goldfinches around here.
Just popped into your blog after seeing your the link from Mary's comments. We live in Surrey and have had a lovely sunny day here today getting quite cold now though. We were in Leyburn about two years ago staying at the B&B in Braithwaite Hall.Lovely part of the Country. Jackie.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. - But I'd settle for a hoary one!
ReplyDeleteYou convey very well, I think, the sights you saw. Is that perhaps a touch of Wordsworth's emotion recollected in tranquility?
Hello Weaver.
ReplyDeleteSorry I'm late with this comment but I think a special button or bead with a loop would look good, or some beautiful ribbon.
Thank you for the lovely original Christmas card, is that THE Farmer on the front feeding the sheep? Did he request a modelling fee?
I enjoyed the poem; feels exactly like winter. It's very cold here, and snow blowing about. We've had a few white Christmases in the past years' nothing like it to bring the season home.
ReplyDeleteLovely words!
ReplyDeleteWe've had two very sunny days here...so Devon is living up to its name,at last!
Tomorrow, I am off to somewhere rather nice...in another county!
;-)
With the current craze for updating everything, I am often surprised at the number of adverts showing folk muffled up against the snow, sledging, snowballing, etc., when we hardly even get snow at Christmas any more - not down here anyway. Hoar frost would be less disruptive than full scale snow, but both are very beautiful and you are right about nature - it provides it's own seasonal decorations.
ReplyDeleteSuch lovely words!
ReplyDeleteAloha, Friend
Comfort Spiral
weaver thankyou for the lovely colourful poem. we have snow now. winds roaring outside. ice on the grass. coloured lights in the dark. it's magic. pure and simple. have a lovely warm evening by the fire in the dale weaver. steven
ReplyDeleteWeaver of magic! Lovely poem.
ReplyDeleteVry nicely done.
ReplyDeleteHi good to read the poetry on The Christmas , Marry Christmas to all writers, poets.
ReplyDeleteThe nature is great, The all colours are there.
I Love the Christmas tree.
Regards
Dinesh Chandra
Weaver - you have a keen eye for lovely things, - thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteWonderful poem! We had a frost here unlike any I'd ever seen. Last week, as the sun rose everything was white, not green brown or earthen. I guess that was a hoar frost, although we don't use that term on the central California coast....
ReplyDeleteWish I had a camera at the time, but my poems are enough!
The English goldfinches are quite different from the one's in the US. I was so glad to find some two years ago when we were in England. We have about ten lesser American Goldfinches More greeny color) that visit our thistle feeder every day. They certainly eat a lot and are quite tame!
ReplyDeleteI've been meaning to tell you Tess' new picture brings a smile every time I see it. Thanks, too, for the words that paint such beautiful pictures.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful Weaver, I love the goldfinches' colours echoing those of Christmas, and the night and day of the two verses.
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone - glad we have goldfinches here in profusion, particularly in winter when they flock. We have three pairs resident all year and they nest in the apple trees in our orchard.
ReplyDeleteAs to a white Christmas, I tend to agree with Dave - I will settle for a hoary one too.
Pretty, poetic picture here, Blogpal!
ReplyDeleteThat's as nice and wintery a scene as you could ever need for a lovely card. I like it—and the poem—a lot. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful and christmassy poetry, Weaver! I love your photos.
ReplyDeleteWe have hung some feeders just across from our new sunroom window and the birds have been flocking to them, including goldfinches. They do love the keys on the ash, don't they?
ReplyDelete