Through the Darkness

Winter Solstice is perhaps the key date in the ancient year. A marker, readily determined, whereby the new year could be prepared for and the old year bid farewell; important for a people no longer scavenging as they roamed across the landscape but settled into an agrarian culture.

Nowadays we care less about calculating the time to sow and the time to plough. Tescos delivers and farms operate on GPS locked robotic tractors... well, some. But winter solstice is a thing, and a good time for a fire to carry us through the longest darkness.

As the sun set (at 4:02 here) I lit the fire and stood over it lost in contemplation of the year gone by. A small dram helped. As did the dram and his mate that followed him. And the dram who dropped by in case the others were lonely. The gods will forgive a chap...

Blessings of the Midwinter to you all. Merry Yule. May the coming year be slightly less controversial. May peace cover all the lands this winter. And beyond.