Tempus fugit

I was resolved that I'd take down the Christmas tree today despite the growing acceptance of the idea that the festival continues till 2 February; the feeling that the real celebration is over as schools return and the days grow imperceptibly longer is hard to resist, especially for a former teacher. So after my last relaxed lazy start and boosted by the 11am strong coffee I resolutely risked broken limbs on the wobbly ladder as I took off the star and the topmost light that the dangling tinsel bit below the star holds on, 52 years after we first made it out of fuse wire and tinsel, having forgotten to acquire one. You can just see it lying in the middle of the box of assorted baubles, the ones acquired over the years in a random fashion which may or not be used as the spirit moves me. In the past, when we inadvertently acquired a massive tree, I'd need them all; nowadays less so. The vulgar, las Vegas type angelic figures, I have to tell you, usually get a look in because they can lurk deep within the tree and look dramatic ...

That done, I was overcome by melancholy, reflecting on the swift passage of time and the fact that two weeks ago today we were just preparing to go to Midnight Mass with the prospect of seeing all our family in the next five days. I'm sure weeks used to last longer. So I had a phone chat with Di and we arranged a walk and a blether later - 

And that's where my extra photo comes from. By the time we were going out, the sun that had been shining on and off all morning had disappeared behind grim clouds which were already dripping gently; by the time we had walked up the road from my house to the Bishop's Glen it was quite heavy and we couldn't walk up our usual path because of huge puddles and by the head of the loch and the upper bridge we were totally drookit. And then, just as the weather app had promised, the sky began to clear, the clouds glowed a benign gold, and the rain stopped. I took the extra photo across the head of the loch because it was such a crazy contrast and I loved the reflections.

And that was it. I managed to do my Italian, as well as waste time footering on the computer. I started one of my Christmas books. And another day I may write about the book I've just surprised myself by enjoying. Remind me, huh?