As predicted, the snowstorm on Friday turned into a day of rain and slush on Saturday...
... and another day of just staying in for me! (photo taken through my window)
I ended up spending the better part of yesterday working on a blog post for Sepia Saturday on my family history blog Greetings from the Past. Pop over if you're interested in learning how 98 years ago, my grandfather had a phrenologist analyse his character and give him career advice! :-)
Today when I got up (I dare not tell you how late), the snow was almost all gone, and a late Amaryllis in my kitchen window had also decided to wake up. Between late breakfast and late lunch, I managed to get out for a half hour walk; keeping to the paved paths in the old cemetery, now free of ice and slush. Nothing to tempt my camera outdoors today, but it was still good to be able to just get out and stretch my legs a bit!
Indoors, I still have Full Christmas going on. Nowadays it seems to vary a lot when people put up vs take down their decorations. But an old Swedish tradition is to throw out the Christmas tree on (or around) 13th January ("the twentieth day of Christmas"); and I still pretty much stick to that. I also sometimes take things down gradually rather than everything at once (just as I also decorate gradually during December). It's still so dark here this time of year that I sometimes like to hold on to my candle sticks in the windows for a while longer...
i would leave that beauiful glowing window just like it is until the summer comes. it is just beautiful and cozy and warms the cockle of my heart. there is no reason to take something down until you tire of it. ugh on the slush, glad it is gone for now
ReplyDeleteSandra, while I might keep the window candlesticks for another week or so, it won't be much longer. My kitchen curtains and some other red textiles usually stay up until mid February though (past Valentine's day).
DeleteI love your photo thru the window of the dark and lights! The amaryllis is so gorgeous that it almost does not look real...it is perfect.
ReplyDeleteThanks Ginny. I do love amaryllis so I bought another one closer to Christmas to prolong the holiday feeling.
DeleteWhen I took down my Christmas things last Friday (Epiphany), it was with a mix of sadness at seeing them gone for the next 11 months and relief to have my uncluttered surfaces back - dusting, hoovering and mopping are so much easier without the tree taking up one corner of the living room and the other things on the cabinets etc.
ReplyDeleteA little colder today and we had rain yesterday, but Saturday was brilliant with the sun out and mild enough to go without a scarf.
Meike, most of my decorations are "changed" with the seasons rather than added, so not quite the same effect of decluttering for me. I get what you mean though :)
DeleteThe candles and your flowers make for a very cosy home. Seeing the first photo I'm not surprised you stayed indoors - it looks so miserable outdoors.
ReplyDeleteI took my decorations - all three of them - down on the 6th too. It was a tradition at home, even when I was very small and wanted to keep the pretty decorations up forever! Keeping them up longer was thought to be bad luck.
Carol I've read about that being the tradition in some countries. I suspect it may be related to our wintry climate here that we've developed a tradition to keep our decorations up a bit longer.
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