The Bleak Midwinter

We have been in England a month now in the bleak midwinter. I love this time of year. I love the short days and dark nights. I sleep longer and better.

The sunsets are spectacular. This one is from a walk we took north on the Barton Road where we saw goats, sheep, and college playing fields.

I took this one on the way to the City Centre from the Grafton Centre, a large rather shabby mall where we spent the day waiting on a laundry seamstress to replace the zipper in Kevin's Spiderman jacket. While we waited, we greatly enjoyed The Descendents in the Mall Theatre.

I love walking home in the dark afternoons and nights.

It's nice to pass pubs and peek in windows to see cozy gas fires,

And warm well-lit restaurants--this one is Jamie Oliver's,

And the always-packed Eagle Pub (famous as where the DNA scientists hung out) even has an outdoor area with big heat lamps,

And, sometimes we go in--this is a Chophouse we like to visit as they give a free bottle of wine with 2 entrees and the food is good.

It seems darker here than in South Carolina. I've only seen one bright star in the sky. The street lights are yellowish and cast an eerie light, making everything spooky, bringing back Dickens novels and English mysteries.

Closed College gates

Kevin posing in the shadows

A lone bicyclist...

Walking the dark nights is such a pleasure but it is always nice to get home to Morrison House.