Tuesday, January 20, 2009

solstice, christmas, snow


finally got round to putting up some of my many speccy christmas photos - we had a white christmas! it was very beautiful and very cold and very difficult to get around (iced up sidewalks + cars bogged + buses cancelled/delayed).


oh, just before christmas was winter solstice. i went to a lantern festival at the local community centre. they had a flaming torch in the snow, and we stood around it singing winter songs, with the falling snow making our song sheets all soggy.


there was also a labyrinth made from candle-lamps, which one walked through very slowly, all the way in and all the way out. it was incredibly beautiful, and the whole night made me feel good about the world and the winter.


cass and i went to an orphan christmas at winifred's place, which was fun. lots of food, lots of bubbly, lots of presents. cass got a harmonica in the chris cringle. sweeeet.


the best kind of christmas present. . .


also there was a cute gus dog!


the view from the bus stop the next morning, mountains in the distance.

and cass with her stash!

we spent christmas day hanging out with some of cass' mates. some of the pretty things we saw on the walk there:




we spent boxing day doing *nothing*, which was perfect! it was snowing heavily and i was forced to valiantly snowshoe down to the shops:


the end!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Snow shoes?? I'd much rather be wearing thongs!!
Lovely photos - I guess you made the snow man. I love the coloured houses. I just can't imagine having to get around for months in all that cold and snow. It would be Awful!!!! We have had two weeks of temperatures above 35 every day, including a couple of 40 degree days. Had a small thunderstorm during the night and about 44 drops of rain and it is coolish and somewhat humid this morning, but I'm happy. Pity the lake is absolutely empty and not a bird in sight!
My banksia at home is covered with new flowers and is alive with new holland honeyeaters and blue faced honeyeaters. Very noisy bunch!!
Lots of Love
XXX

Anonymous said...

what a different environmental experience you're having - if you're going to live in the northern hemisphere, it's good to have such lovely extremes to get the full effect

the snow looks beautiful and it looks like your christmas wasn't too bad

seems like they celebrate events more there - tho maybe they have such stuff in melb that we don't know about

gumtreefid farmer said...

aw, but snow shoes are fun!

we didn't make the snow man, actually, we just found it and decided it was a perfect photo oppurtunity! actually i haven't made a snowman here yet. hmm. have to get onto that. . .

i can't imagine having to get around in 35+ temperatures anymore! i think i have acclimatised!

your banksia sounds lovely.

love

gumtreefid farmer said...

grot,

very true. i need to go live in montreal or winnipeg or something for a bit too, to get *really* extreme extremes.

i was wondering if there is more public events here or if i just know about them. living in east van helps.

love

Gauri said...

you are looking extremely attractive ! i love the lantern labyrinth, very cool !

gumtreefid farmer said...

i love that every time you comment you tell me how fantastically good looking i am, gauroxen! you can stay on my blog for ever and ever!

you would love the lantern labyrinth. very gauri-spiritual. you should find out how to make your own labryinth and do it somewhere - you can paint it on the ground or draw it in sand or grow it in mint plants or whatever.