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Mary Booker's avatar

Oh thank you for sharing this snowy midwinter magic with us. It was beautiful. I grew up in upstate New York and remember that excited feeling of the first snow, which often then settled in for months. Now I live in Devon in the UK. Snow doesn’t come often here anymore - sometimes up on the moor. I miss it.

Susie Mawhinney's avatar

Thank you for reading Mary, I don't think those of us that enjoy snowfall ever grow out of that excitement do we? Not that I have ever lived anywhere where snow has lasted that long which perhaps makes it even more exciting when it does arrive... here, invariably it is gone the following day which is always a little sad.

We do have snow forecast for Christmas Day though... my daughter and I are already dashing to the window just in case it comes early!

Snow or no snow, I wish you a wonderful Christmas, Devon is a beautiful place to be, I spent many a summer roams the moors there in my youth. xx

Dottie Eberhart's avatar

Through your beautiful words, photographs and music; peace. In a world gone mad, peace. Thank you.

Susie Mawhinney's avatar

Dottie, I am so glad and touched that peace is what you found, it is my only need and want in my writing and images, to transfer that which is so badly needed and so evidently missing. Thank YOU, for reading all that I feel. xx

Louise Haynes's avatar

I’m just catching up, Susie… Are Sonny, Milly, Juniper and Jersey all with you still? Who else is with you in sheep form? I’m so happy you saw the dusting. May you have more dustings this season and even a stayed-for-a-couple-of-days event as well❣️❄️🐑☃️

Susie Mawhinney's avatar

I so understand, I’m a little behind too Louise, and unlikely to catch up until the end of this last week (the worst of the year by far) when the holidays begin…. I am counting the days and hours already!

Yes I still have all four, Sonny, Jersey, Juniper and Milly, they are not going to love me very much when I have to give them their annual worm dose and trim their feet next week but I have extra nuts and clean hay to compensate! Sadly these things have to be done!

Many thanks Louise, I hope you too have at least a dusting to bring the festive feeling to you 🎄❄️xx

Louise Haynes's avatar

Similar here. This week of classes then some breathing space to recover a bit. 😮‍💨 You always take good care of your sheepies. Give them some extra nuts and a hug for me. 🥰

Susie Mawhinney's avatar

Hugs delivered Louise… I do hope you are not suffering to badly and healing is fast - Thake care of you lovely 😘

Louise Haynes's avatar

xx

darren harley's avatar

💚

Susie Mawhinney's avatar

🙏🏼🩵❄️

Hazel's avatar

So very beautiful 🤍

Susie Mawhinney's avatar

Thank you darling ♥️x

<Mary L. Tabor>'s avatar

You are a kaleidoscope of images that warm the heart in the midst of the cold. I love those pages that turn with music and beauty. Is that an album from Apple photos? How did you do such a gorgeous addition to your lovely words?

Susie Mawhinney's avatar

Ahh dearest Mary thank you, I am delighted you enjoyed this little addition. It is simply just a small handful of the photos I took that day added to iMovies with a page turning transition. The music came from a site with thousands of mostly terrible royalty free songs which was probably the longest and hardest part of the whole video, et voila!

Stephanie Sweeney's avatar

Magical! And yes, how iced branches are like exquisite art installations! Glad you were able to enjoy such a morning of snow.

Susie Mawhinney's avatar

Stephanie thank you so much for reading, even a morning of snow here is a gift! Snow rarely lasts longer than a day and to have the day, a Saturday no less, begin with quite so much magic was like ten christmases and birthdays all at once!

Carmine Hazelwood's avatar

That sweet, snow-kissed face! Oh what happiness to give them food when they are hungry and watch them eat so eagerly. Unbearably cute indeed!

These lovely photos and especially the video capturing the quiet wonder of the sparkling falls of glitter-snow, lit gold by the rising sun…thank you for sharing such intense beauty and sweetness, Susie. I am happy that this joy was yours and wishing you much more to come. xo

Susie Mawhinney's avatar

Carmine, thank you so much. My four sheep are darlings, but Milly, bless her woolly soul, seemed to have a love of snow to match my own, with her face masked and her knees covered also she really was unbearably cute!

I am delighted you enjoyed the video, I took so many phots that morning it was far too hard to choose a handful so I spent far too long, instead, making a video with equal difficulty in choosing those to include...

I hope every year for thick snow, the sort that blankets the whole landscape in white, it never comes so even a tiny sprinkling as we had was a gift! I loved every second... xx

Veronika Bond's avatar

"The fourth, Milly, emerges adorable, face-masked by frosted flakes, oblivious and beautiful. She nudges me, paws the air before her head disappears into the bucket with the others; four black heads, eight ears protruding, buried in a bucket, is an unbearable cuteness even in subzero temperatures!" — the way you describe these scenes is like creating a painting with words. I can so vividly imagine this, and you do it so well! Between this and the wandering in gold dust you have created a truly magical piece, Susie ♥️ 🙏 ✨🧚🏽 🪄

Susie Mawhinney's avatar

Veronika I have never seen snow turn to gold dust as it falls from the trees before, perhaps I have never been out at just the right moment at sunrise before, perhaps the wind has never blown at just the right, slight-breeze pace before but oh my goodness I was beguiled and hypnotised by that light, it felt like a small and very exquisite miracle and an enormous gift. I was blessed. As I am to have four such adorable sheep, one, Milly, who seemed to love the snow as much as I do... they paint pictures for me every day!

Sending wintry hugs to you, please tell me J is feeling better? 🤍🙏🏼xx

Veronika Bond's avatar

Thank you, big autumn hugs back to you.

Yes, thanks to all healing spirits, J is feeling better (as in eating more and throwing up a lot less) which is encouraging, responding well to the homœopathic remedies, and complaining more about the 'bland food' on the current menu (which I take as a good sign 😅). It's exhausting for both of us, as you can imagine, and a bit scary too, but we are greatly blessed to be able to work through this together. 🤍🙏🏼

Susie Mawhinney's avatar

Thank goodness for all healing spirits! I am relieved to hear of his recovery and the complaints that accompany it, though it sounds like you have suffered equally Veronika, I hope you are looking after you with as much care as I know you will have J, 🙏🏼💛xx

Jeannine's avatar

Dear Susie, I walked with you in the glittery forest during the sweet moment that it was...sound on full blast to hear the soft twittering of the birds. Thank you for that.

Sending hugs from this mother's heart to yours and light to your broken-hearted young one.

Susie Mawhinney's avatar

Bless you Jeannine, your mother hugs are so very gratefully accepted, the last weeks have not been the happiest in this normally calm and peaceful house. I pray I can find enough smiles to make my son's Christmas a little more jolly than he is now anticipating, though I know this will be a hard task.

My heart is broken in two to see and feel his pain, and, I am sure I don't need to tell you, little can be done. Except hugs and I have plenty of those to give him.

Hugs back to you lovely lady, I hope your week has been kind. xx

Jonathan Foster's avatar

That's my world. Hello. Spectral light seemingly coming from the depths as much as from the heavens. And that peace that muffles sound like a duvet. And yet a crack or a call will travel like a bullet in the cold. And that snowy democratization with everything getting a fair share. And the snow in a perpetual death dance with the temperature, offered more life as the temperature plummets and so threatened by the warming day. And the way the snow changes personality as the moisture varies, squeaking underfoot in dry powdered perfection or schlopping in viscous honey warmth, strangely safer the colder it gets.

Your photo show was amazing.

Thanks.

I know it's a waiting game but I hope that young heart isn't aching too much. It probably is. Oh life eh. Bloody hell.

Susie Mawhinney's avatar

I was reading about the Sámi languages, how between all the different dialects and the different types of snow there are more than 300 different words for the word snow.

I think that morning I spotted at least ten of them! I try imagining living in a place where I might understand more of the words but actually can't... the cold would probably get me before I found another ten anyway!

You have undoubtedly seen such golden snow before, this was a first for me and a memory that will be treasured. Such as magic should be.

Thanks heaps Jonathan, for reading and watching and for every encouragement you send just by being here.

Yup, bloody hell is about it... life has swiped his legs from under him and crushed his big, too soft heart, there has been a silent ghost sitting at his seat at the kitchen table for over two weeks, not a great amount of time as broken hearts go but it feels like forever for both him and me. I am powerless to change any of it... as hard as it is , que sera, sera.

Kelly Lenox's avatar

Beautiful reflections and insights. 😍 And the caption to your first photo is brilliant! May I steal it sometime? 😉

Susie Mawhinney's avatar

Many thanks Kelly, you can steal my caption any time you like, with pleasure! 🫶🏼

Feasts and Fables's avatar

Simply wonderful … 💛

Susie Mawhinney's avatar

Thank you Barrie, it was hard to choose just a few photos of that morning — there are many, many more too — a short video seemed to be the answer!

Feasts and Fables's avatar

Gold dust!!

Susie Mawhinney's avatar

Exactly! Magic right?

Linda Clark's avatar

Magical Susie! I felt I was there with you. Mille and Juniper- divine!!

Susie Mawhinney's avatar

They were all adorable Linda but Milly, oh my goodness that face was heavenly, like a sheep angel! Thank you always — that Saturday morning was pure untouched by any other human magic, I was blessed! x

Linda Clark's avatar

A Sheep Angel! How lovely! They are so gorgeous. One of the best things I’ve seen on here this year is them doing Zoomies in the wind! Such joy!

Susie Mawhinney's avatar

As soon as the wind arrives with any force they have a mad few minutes Linda, I will try to post another quick film for you next time! It is all the excuse I need to spend time with them! x

David E. Perry's avatar

"Behind three sets of warm woolly ears waiting for their breakfast, I defrost my fingers."

I'd have gladly walked a mile in a heavy frost or light rain to read that one sentence, to travel the universe in its quiet truth, that level of intimate understanding.

Lordy, woman.

Susie Mawhinney's avatar

It's kinda soft behind those ears too Davey... I recommend waiting for one of those enticingly frosty mornings, you know the type, one that is irresistible to those of us who know just the right earthly place to be captivated in such temperatures, make sure it is close to a friendly sheep or two and give it a try. Not only will your hands be thawed in the softness but they will be softened by the lanolin in the wool. Mary will thank you for it the next time you take her hands in yours, I promise!

May your weekend be filled with the sublime my friend... my forever thanks.

Marisol Muñoz-Kiehne's avatar

“The light is glorious,”

as is Susie’s snowed hill, Sheep.

All “evanescent.”

Susie Mawhinney's avatar

Yet your words dear Marisol, will shine on.

For which I send woolly thanks...