The dawn is gentle and kind, rising up with a peachy blush. I’ve been awake this week to see the way the sun lights up the horizon with colours that you’d find in the spring, rather than in the winter. It’s almost as if the sun is reminding us that it exists, that behind all the dark mornings and early nightfall, there is a blaze of fire in the sky. I’ve been grateful for that, this week. It has reminded me constantly to take the moment to breathe, to watch the sky, and relax into a new day. I’m finding that as much as I appreciate a long sleep, I also enjoy early mornings much more than I used to. There is always a little time, if you’re not in a rush, to appreciate a moment of quiet.
British people like to talk about the weather. It’s a small-talk topic, something to fall back on when we don’t know what to say. It’s just as well that the weather constantly changes here, on this small island. For the past few days, it’s been frosty and dry but sunny. Tomorrow there will be fog in the morning, mostly overcast for the rest of the day, with cold temperatures. The cold is noticeable now, such a change from the beginning of this month when I could venture outside with just a cardigan and a scarf. Today I noticed how static my hair was, sticking to my coat and face – clinging to me like seaweed. The cold and central heating are pulling and pushing against each other.
Tomorrow is December, and the last day I’ll be 31. It hasn’t been my favourite age, but I’ve decided that 32, by virtue of being divisible by two, is going to be a better year. I have a lot to look forward to, and a lot to get done. I’m glad that, at least, my last week being this age has been a better week than I’ve had for a few months. It started with seeing Fantastic Beasts at the cinema (wonderful), and will end with a birthday dinner at a favourite local restaurant. I’m going away this weekend to see my husband’s family (and attend a wedding), so it looks as if December is going to start how December should always start – with an adventure and a little magic. Watching the dawn this week, with its gentle, blushing kindness and reminder that every day is a new start, has been a privilege.
‘We went down into the silent garden. Dawn is the time when nothing breathes, the hour of silence. Everything is transfixed, only the light moves.’ – Leonora Carrington.
Cats and Chocolate 
Here in Gauteng, South Africa we are battling a serious drought in the middle of a heat wave. Yet the dawn is kind and cool…
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I’m glad the dawn is kind and cool. And I hope the heat wave breaks quickly, and the drought eases.
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Thank you, Liz. Happy birthday!!
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Thank you, not til Friday but I’m looking forward to it! xx
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LOVE. I will be by your side – always – and am looking forward to helping to make your year of being 32 a magical one. May there be adventures aplenty. Love you xxx
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Love you too, and ditto! xxxxx
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We made it! 32 is indeed better than 31.
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Reblogged this on purelycrystals .
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The dawn is gentle and kind,beautiful!!!
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Love this. Wishing you a very happy birthday in advance! xoxo
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Nice post as dawn is a good start to be grateful for the day!
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My god reading this was like drinking a cup of hot cocoa while I look outside at the snow falling down. Such a cozy and lovely post, very glad I discovered this blog. Despite the fact that I am nowhere near a morning person, whenever I happen to find myself accidentally awake around that time I can’t help but fall in love with the smell in the air and the feeling of the air against my skin. I live in a big city, and with all the pollution and people within it, the air is never more fresh than at the time of dawn. It’s why I’ve always preferred the sunrise to the sunset. With the sunrise comes the promise of a new day; a day where anything can happen.
🙂
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