Imbolc
January 30 2026
The first of the snowdrops down the lane
Hello friends
We have been wintering. Our lives have been full of slow mornings of coffee in bed, and afternoons spent working on the floor in front of the fire. Early nights and extra portions of dinner. That extra hour of sleep. Sometimes two. Living in the city, abstracted from the seasons by central heating and tall buildings, I used to hate winter. I would roll my eyes and feel offended by the cold, the wind, and the rain. Now, living in our tiny hut on the edge of a field, I adore winter. Because we are confronted by the seasons every day, we live within them. We wake up in the morning and light a fire in the dark to heat our wee house. We make big pots of soups and stews to warm ourselves from the inside, and we sleep much earlier, for longer. We give our animals extra portions of food, and spend time watching the wild birds in the fairy tree. We have to check the weather often to make sure we have enough water stored inside in case our outside tap freezes, and to make sure we stock up on food in the event we are stuck in our lane for a few days.
In old Gaelic culture, Samhain (now halloween) marked the start of the year. The reminder that everything is born of darkness: seeds germinating in dark soil, babies born from a dark womb. It’s easy to see nature as dead in winter, but it’s quietly gathering resources and strength to get ready for a busy Spring.
This January, we got a lot of snow (for where we live anyway) and as a result, we were stuck in our lane for 5 days. It was magic. It wasn’t long after the Christmas and New Year holidays, and between my day job writing code, my seasonal job as a florist, and visiting family, I was exhausted.
On day 1 I stayed in bed, ate lots of snacks, and watched movies. I watched the sky because I think there is a very particular shade of sky that happens only when it snows, and I look forward to it every year, excited at what it brings. We drank buckets of tea, and shared excellent cuddles. Day 2 I fixed up a sewing machine I had bought second hand in July, and read the manual. I made my first few stitches on scrap fabric. I watched the ducks making the cutest little webbed footprints in the snow, and the chickens scratching, confused by this cold white soil. Day 3 we went for a little walk down the lane and into surrounding fields. We saw the first of the snowdrops, planted by someone decades before we were born. I remember last year reading that in Swiss folklore, an old name for the snowdrop flower is “Amselblumli”, literally “blackbird flower” because they both appear at the same time. We tried to drive out to get some extra snacks and coffee, but found that the hill was too slippy for the car, and that if we got out, we’d be unlikely to drive back in! Day 4 I made some pillow cases out of an old bed sheet, and felt absolutely delighted with myself. I made a great bean soup and sourdough discard flatbread. Day 5 I was back to work, but luckily from home. I snuggled up on a cushion in front of the fire, and exchanged snow stories with my colleagues. I was sad to see the last of the snow and frost melt, but delighted to have access to running water again as the tap defrosted with the rest of the earth.
We are now moving into Spring, Imbolc, and imagine our sheep will be back in the next few weeks. In celebration of the lighter evenings, I took an extra long lunch break yesterday and went to the local garden centre. I replenished our sad, half empty window boxes, and made up a few pots of seasonal flowers for family.