Candlemas on the 2nd February marks not only the official end of Christmas, but is also the halfway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. In the farming calendar, it was when the lambing season would begin.
Even though it is not spring yet, I’ve noticed a change. The days are definitely drawing out now, the light is different, the air smells different and I’ve noticed buds on trees.
Something I read recently suggested that slowing down is a privilege, and not everyone can, but I don’t believe that’s true. It implies that slowing down can only happen if you have lots of free time.
Culturally, we wear our busyness like it’s a badge we’re proud of. It’s almost like a competition sometimes, and a way to prove our worthiness.
In the end, we are all actually quite busy. Most of us don’t have the time (or the energy, or the inclination) to always make our own bread by hand, knit all our own socks and our family’s socks, or hand stitch all our own clothes. Doing those things sometimes helps us to slow down, but it doesn’t mean always having to do them.
Slowing down can be a simple is getting outside for a few minutes and noticing. It doesn’t have to involve taking a whole day to go off hiking. It can just mean stepping outside for a few minutes and looking around you.
Being aware of the seasons changing is one way to feel more present and less rushed. One thing I’ve noticed about getting older is how time seems to speed up! If we’re not careful, the days, weeks and months can whizz by without us paying much attention to them.
It also doesn’t help that we are encouraged to always focus on what is coming up, to such an extent that we fail to notice what is happening now.
Stepping outside into the garden, or taking a 15 minute stroll round the park during your lunch break, or walking to the post office instead of taking the car gives us an opportunity to be outside. Even if you live in a town or a city, there will be signs of the seasons changing.
Noticing that spring is not too far away means that anything wintery that I still want to do needs doing in the next few weeks, or it will have to wait until next year.
One thing I wanted to do was to revisit winter colour schemes.
I actually quite like it when things aren’t always obvious, and finding colour, or beauty in nature generally, can be difficult when it’s gloomy and cold and probably raining. But there are beautiful colours if we take the time to look beyond the dead looking plants and the gloom.
So here are some things I’ve noticed, and the winter colour schemes to go with them.
I spotted the lichen on this tree in the carpark of the Co Op in the village, while I was out catching Pokemon with my youngest son!
The colours of this one are quite similar to the one above, especially the greens. I took the photo because of the face on the tree! I think the colours really say English winter.
One lovely thing about winter is the pretty sunsets. I was on my way home from somewhere when I noticed this one, so I whipped out my phone and took a picture. It’s not an especially good photo, but it’s fine for a colour scheme.
I took this photo back in December. The grey clouds looked almost purple. The sky can be so pretty, even when it’s not a sunset.
In this photo I liked the coppery brown of the plants and how they contrast with the sky.
It is easy to make colour schemes from photos, and quite fun. I’m never content just to make one! And if you make a few, and keep them somewhere, you’ll have them to refer to when you need a colour scheme for something, like a crochet project or a patchwork quilt.
If you like my winter colour schemes and you want to try it yourself, my free mini course, Crafted Colours, has videos and PDFs that walk you through the whole process. It’s exactly the same process that I use myself. You can find more information here Crafted Colours: Creating Colour Schemes From Photos
Leave a Reply