Friday 30 January 2015

Embracing January

A photo a day throughout January, to celebrate all that is good about this time of year.

22/31: Buying Seville oranges to make marmalade. 


23/31: An ice cold, bone dry, blue sky winter day when the grass is crunchy underfoot and the frozen puddles crack when you walk on them. This is a photo of Chichester Cathedral taken on my phone that day.


24/31: Wearing my new handmade scarf to London and feeling simultaneously snug and smug. When I first wear something I've made I feel like telling everyone I see: "Look, do you like my scarf? What do you think of it? I made it! Yes, I made it. Myself! " Luckily I don't do that. 


25/31: The weak, watery, winter light breaking through the clouds on a Sunday afternoon walk.



26/31: Making marmalade. It took ages to set but filled the kitchen with warm, orange-scented steam as it got dark outside.


27/31: Bare branches. I never tire of these, they're just so beautiful. It sounds daft, but I notice the trees more, not less, when they are without their leaves.


28/31: A lunch of tomato soup (not yet in the bowl), bread and cheese, eaten indoors with all the lights on while it rained outside.



Are you bored of this yet? I hope not, I'm enjoying it! Only three more days to go which is good as I don't think I could sustain this kind of challenge for longer than a month.

*

Still no snow here, despite many a weather forecaster teasing us with pictures of snow clouds over Hampshire. Enjoy your weekends. 


38 comments:

  1. I am so not bored but your lovely photos and evocative descriptions. I follow you from Perth, Australia where it has been 38 Celsius all week, and your descriptions of winter keep me sane!

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  2. Not bored at all. It is a shame it is nearly February! The kitche photo is my favourite, it looks like well used workspace and even has a proper kettle! x

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  3. Lovely photos and a particularly pretty butter dish xx

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  4. Not at all boring. Beautiful photos and I love all your kitchen utensils hanging over the marmalade pan - lovely looking kettle too! x

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  5. No snow here where I am but places 10 miles in all directions around me have had quite a covering, so very strange. Love your photos, not boring at all.

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  6. I love bare branches too. Especially against a bright blue sky!

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  7. What a great selection of pictures, I love bright oranges and the blue sky!, have a nice weekendx

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  8. Love your photographs for January. I can almost smell those oranges bubbling in the pan! X

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  9. Daft or not, I love the silhouettes of the trees against a winter sky too. Enjoying these posts. Xx

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  10. My oranges are still whole and the sugar is still in the bags, it is in the pipeline for the weekend. Not at all boring, I envy your photographic skills.

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  11. Not at all bored - I've loved the documenting of happy things that you've done for January :-) And if I'd bumped into you in London, I would definitely have complimented you on your beautiful scarf!
    Have a happy weekend and hope you get some snow soon,
    xx

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  12. I think this has been a great month of photos and happy things. We've had plenty of snow... school closed yesterday at lunchtime after sudden, heavy snowfall and we had a snow day today :) I love winter trees too, and your scarf looks great!

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  13. I've never made marmalade, but my late mother used to have a marmalade making marathon in January when, for three weeks, marmalade was on the go most days ... she made around about 100 jars of the stuff, 50 for her and 50 for us. Of course, she didn't need 50 herself, but she used to give them away to neighbours, but we went through at least a jar a week, so it kept us in marmalade for a year until the next marmalade making marathon!

    Love tomato soup but love better tomato and courgette and basil soup which I make regularly all year round. Lovely with parmesan on top, with crusty bread to eat.

    Love bare branches, too, the skeletons of the trees.

    Seeing your scarf has almost made me want to learn to crochet, but I know I'd just get in a muddle with it as I did when learning to knit as a child! A super scarf, very stylish and with so many colours it would go with any colour of coat.

    Margaret P

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  14. Lovely Gillian and I'm glad you're near the end of the month as basically you've talked about every day, although not actually posting each day, it's a lot of work. Well done. Take care.

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  15. Lovely pictures. You should definitely try and drop your scarf into conversations with strangers, it deserves to be admired. Wishing you and yours a good weekend. CJ xx

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  16. Plenty of snow here now, and it all happened within two hours yesterday afternoon!
    The sky picture is the best of this lot - they are all good, but that one is breathtaking.
    I have zero talent when it comes to knitting etc., so if it were me wearing a new hand-made scarf (made by myself), I'd certainly make sure everyone knew about it :-D

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  17. More great photos and no, I will never tire of looking at them.

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  18. Tons of snow here... I stop watching cars slithering up the hill on Thursday (and hoped they wouldn't slither into my parked one).
    Have you ever looked at those tree guides where they show the silhouette of bare trees? I'd love to be able to identify them just by recognising their shapes.
    Lovely scarf by the way. Oh, and I was looking at a recipe for marmalade cake pudding last night. It looked amazing.
    S x

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  19. I love that scarf, you're right to be proud :o) Lovely piccies, especially the cathedral. Will be in Chichester myself tomorrow, dropping my daughter back at uni. Have a great weekend.
    Jane x

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  20. ooh Marmalade. What a lovely blog. So inspirational. Pema x

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  21. Marmalade cooking? Mmm gorgeous smell. I love the outline of the trees as well.

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  22. Your month sounds wonderful, maybe a little cold but wonderful.
    Hugs,
    Meredith

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  23. I'm with you when it comes to trees, in winter one is somehow more aware of the way they're put together.

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  24. Beautiful photos! I agree with the others that nothing is boring here. It is a bit cold, 29 Farenheit with snow for tonight and quite foggy here in Northern Central US. Do you follow a favorite tomato soup recipe? Thank you for all you share.

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  25. I simply loved these pictures. That one 25/31 is the winner. What is the stitch for that scarf? xx

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  27. Wow! That picture of the sun breaking through the clouds is gorgeous! And I'm a big fan of trees - especially when they are bare of leaves (hey I rhymed - LOL!)... Love your scarf! Every time I wear something out that I've made, I so wish people would ask me if I made it. But they rarely do. And I too think about yelling out - hey I made this SCARF - isn't it beautiful! But I restrain myself! So they don't restrain me - tee hee!

    Linda in VA

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  28. Lovely photos again! Come and visit my blog. There you can see what means cold winter day:) and we have so much snow- uh:(

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  29. Lovely pictures!! I am very jealous of the marmalade :) I also love bare branches - they're very impressive somehow. That scarf is truly wonderful!! x

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  30. Orange marmalade is my very favorite! I bet your (homemade) version is just delicious.! I love your new scarf - the colors are fabulous! And that is a really pretty butter dish, as well. Hope you had a nice weekend! I look forward to learning more about your new home. I can't wait to see interior photos... so exciting!!

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  31. love the pictures. my favourite is the oranges.

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  32. I find that I am drawn to bare trees too, much more dramatic. Your scarf is gorgeous, I identify with the wanting to tell everyone that you made it yourself.,

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  33. I am the same with trees in winter. Other than Horse Chestnut trees, they grab my attention all year round.

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  34. What a lovely week. I hope the marmalade making was good :) xxx

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  35. Congratulations on your house - it looks well-suited to your cheerful MCM style! Looking forward to seeing you settle in - must be a change to go back south… pros and cons to everything, no doubt :)

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  36. Fantastic post, really we need all the positivity we can get in the coldest Winter months!

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