December 2024 - Gillian Monks

Merry Midwinter!

On December 21, 2024

In Musings of the Hearth, Thoughts From My Fireside

We have arrived! The tipping point between the headlong plunge into the Darkness and the long slow climb back up towards the Light.

Technically, the Solstice occurred at approximately 9.30. this morning… but before we can actually see evidence of the returning Light, with the dying of the day later this afternoon we shall enter into the very darkest time of the year which will only visibly come to an end with the breaking of the day on the morning of the 25th December. On this morning, the Sun/Son is reborn – the Light of the World returns to us and another year is assured.

Make good use of this precious, sacred time. Enter fully into the darkness… rest in the shadows and enjoy the synthetic light of candles and coloured bulbs, then glory in the return of the Light.

According to the meteorological forecast, we are in for some rough weather today. In years past we have gone down into the woods to keep the natural world company as the daylight dies, or up onto the hillside to witness the dying of the Light. However, today it will be more appropriate to withdraw into our homes and gather around the hearth… to light candles as daylight leaves us and hold the light and love of life in our hearts until the Sun bursts forth once more on Christmas morning.

My dearest wish is that you all make the very most of this dak time, not so much by nourishing and nurturing yourself within the warmth and safety of your own homes, (although that also applies), but by creating as much light within your own beings as possible. Allow your own very special and unique light to shine bravely and brightly out into the dark world by any and all means possible… bring smiles and laughter, bring kindness and compliments as you rush about preparing for your own celebrations.

I wish you all a very meaningful and positive Solstice as we wait with bated breath for the rebirth of the Sun/Son.

A very merry midwinter to you all… with my love.

Eat-Up Evenings

By Gillian Monks

On December 12, 2024

In Uncategorized

Creating something from nothing – or to repeat my own oft quoted words, making much of little… or not even much but at least something – is the focus of my thoughts today.

This is what I ended up doing yesterday evening. We had all been out to various Christmas lunches and celebrations and had arrived home later in the afternoon with some of us needing to return to work on our computers while others had physical tasks to catch up on. Darkness fell… the moon climbed higher in a clear sky as the temperature plummeted and the evening became icily cold.

I knew that no one would need or want a proper meal after the feasts which we had variously consumed only hours earlier, so I peered in the fridge to see what I could find. A couple of ends of cold joints, some heels of cheese, a bit of salad. In the cake tins I found some delicious fruit, nut and honey cake which is a Maltese Christmas delicacy which one of us had recently brought home from a cruise which had passed that island. I also discovered half a pink sponge cake and some German spice cakes… cheese biscuits, and so on.

I carved the meat into finger friendly thin slices and set everything out on a large board with a couple of homemade chutneys and all the appropriate cutlery, the bowl of salad and the platter of sweet stuffs. Homemade rolls were popped in the oven to warm. Butter was warming in seasonal dish shaped as a smiling little deer. This was all set on the shelf next to the Aga where this year’s wooden Advent calendar lights up a dark corner. I added a couple of candles and wound up my husband’s German musical box which plays ‘Tanenbaum’ – the scene was set!

Everyone congregated in the cosy warmth from our faithful old cream stove and as we ate and shared the ‘bits and pieces’ which we were all suddenly ravenous for and which tasted amazingly good, everyone relaxed, laughter and chatter flowed and the atmosphere grew warmer – and not just from the Aga!

I sometimes do this for afternoon tea – raid all the cake tins and fridge/freezer and assemble al the ends of packets, pieces of cake and biscuits on one small table which then overflows with tasty treats and possibilities. If there is any shortfall, out comes a loaf of bread and the toasting fork and we indulge in slices made golden brown by the blazing fire, dripping with butter or honey… toast never tastes so good as when it is done on an open fire!

So, good people, do not despair at all the disparate ends and remnants of foods that have accumulated in your fridges and cupboards… get them all out and arrange an eat-up feast and turn it into a special occasion, not simply a tiresome task, or another case when everything ends up in the waste food bucket.

Extra ingredients: light a candle… possibly pour a glass of wine (or a cup of tea or coffee) and give each other a hug – after all, it is Christmas!

All In a Jug of Lemonade

By Gillian Monks

On December 1, 2024

In Musings of the Hearth, Thoughts From My Fireside

I made my Christmas cakes yesterday… one for the family, two to give to friends and another to decorate and cut at New Year. Not ‘Stir Up Sunday’ you might say. No, but the nearest I could get to it considering my other commitments.

I ended up with a couple of lemons from which I had grated the zest but which still needed squeezing to remove the juice, and decided to make lemonade with them for my husband and I to enjoy hot before bedtime. We only tend to think of lemonade as a summer beverage served with ice to cool us down but it is something my mother used to make for us when I was a child, and stand on the hearth by the fire in a big glass jug to keep warm. (Never allow to boil, of course, as this destroys all the beneficial Vitamin C.)

As I wound down towards bedtime I sat clasping my steaming mug of pale tangy liquid, fragrant with the scent of citrus and it suddenly struck me just how lucky I am… lucky because we have access to such fruit which is usually grown so far away, lucky that we can afford to buy it, lucky that I have the knowledge and ability to make such a drink, lucky that I can see, smell and taste it, and so on. Most importantly of all, lucky that I have close, loving family with which I can share it.

As I sipped my warmly comforting lemonade, I felt a decided glow spread throughout my being which was attributable to more than just the heat of the liquid.

How had such a simple action turned into an activity of revelation and gratitude and become a precious and sacred occasion?

This is the miracle of Life, I suppose, the realisation that even the most mundane action or event when viewed in a certain way, can become magical… and that our whole life is actually amazingly magical when seen from a positive perspective… if we allow ourselves the opportunity to do so.

Perhaps the necessary ingredients for this happy outcome lie in taking the time to stand back and contemplate… to take in what actually is. Couple that to the joy of the moment and a grateful heart and it is easier to see how it might come about.

Recipe for Homemade Lemonade: Zest and juice of a lemon, a pint of water and honey or sugar to taste – you may also roughly chop up the flesh of the lemon and/or add a pinch of citric acid if you wish but it is not necessary. Place all ingredients in a pan and warm gently, making sure that all the sweetening has completely dissolved. Put to one side and allow the lemon to steep in the warm liquid for a while before reheating (remember not to allow to boil) before straining into a warm jug to serve or pour straight into mugs.

What better way to chase away those cold and ‘flu bugs, give your immune system a boost and lift your emotions?