Issue #51 The Misc Adventures Digest

Solstice greetings, thoughts on the universe and reflections on the year passed.

Hello, hello! Welcome to issue 51 of The Misc. Adventures Digest.

Firstly, wishing you a happy winter solstice!

What did you do to celebrate? The weather here was wild, so we hunkered down inside with candles lit. We wrote little notes about things we’d like to change and tossed them onto the fire. For the third year in a row we read “The Shortest Day” by Susan Cooper, which is beautifully illustrated by one of our favourite artists

Slowpoke

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Winter Solstice

The more entangled with Nature we have become over the years, the more the solstices have come to have meaning and significance for us. The winter solstice marks that remarkable point in the year when thanks to delightfully wonky axis of the earth, here in the northern hemisphere we have reached our maximum tilt away from the sun. The days are at their shortest, and from now on the sun is no longer ebbing away but flowing towards us, laden with hope and bestowing life upon all wild things. It marks the start of winter, yet also the end simultaneously. As I write, the wind is howling down the chimney and raindrops are pelting against the window with alarming ferocity as I gear up for a day working in the woods; it will be dark still when I arrive at work and dark before I get home. Depending on the thickness of the gloom, it may never really get light all day. Although we still have a long way to go, and winter has many gifts that we should not let pass us by, it is comforting to know that a shift has taken place and the cycles of light and dark continue to march on, heedless of our earthly troubles.

The solstice offers the perfect opportunity to reflect on the year passed, and also to contemplate where we are and where we’re going. Not just where we are in our own lives, but where we are physically, floating in the staggeringly vast cosmos. Thinking about the earth, its relationship with the sun and our position in the universe is a powerful exercise in Nature connection and a wonderful way of gaining perspective on the curious complexities of life - I often try to visualise myself from above, zooming out further and further until I’m just a speck on the earth in the vastness of space orbiting around our closest star.

It irks me that the solstices have come to lack meaning in our modern society. We are adept at constructing narratives that separate us from Nature, what it means to be alive and where we have come from. In the flurry of winter traditions that take place in December, solstice is largely forgotten and uncelebrated by the majority, yet perhaps it is the only one that holds any true significance, marking a real and tangible moment in time and space. It is strange isn’t it that we celebrate New Year on January 1st when the year literally dies and is reborn again on the solstice. In truth we love all the winter festivities - we are quite happy to partake in all that is good about this time of year, yet the knowledge and importantly acknowledgement of seasonal shifts is a powerful gift, binding us to all other wild things and to our place in the universe.

Here’s to lighter days ahead…

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Reflections

It’s been an eventful year here full of small adventures and change. This is only our second year living in the Lake District following an emotional departure from our woodland home of 11 years. It takes time to settle, to put down roots in a new landscape, although in truth we are surprised at how rooted we already feel in such a short space of time. This year has been one of making deeper connections, of being bold and reaching out into the darkness like fungal threads seeking relationships in the soil. It does not always come easy; I am happy to admit to being an introvert, yet I have always been amazed at what can happen when you summon the courage to reach out. Starting the year as newly self-employed with not much in the way of an idea of how things would go, meant having to work hard at forging new connections or at least putting myself in the places where opportunities might arise, however uncomfortable it might feel. Now, with not just a steady supply of the work I enjoy and a network of like-minded doers and makers, we also find ourselves intertwined with new friends and a sense of belonging in a landscape steeped with the promise of adventure. Although there is much to be said for putting yourself out there, we couldn’t have done it alone - we are deeply thankful to the folks who joined dots and bridged gaps to help us on our way. If you are one of those, then thank you.

It has not all been easy. There have been tough times and a few struggles. It is hard trying to make a living doing the things you love in a way that feels right, but we will keep trying for we know of no other way.

There have been many highlights this year, but some favourites include:

A multi-day hike with Fjällräven that I wrote about here.

A fly fishing trip following the banks of the River Derwent and the Borrowdale Valley.

Watching Benji develop into a strong and confident hiker in the mountains over the summer. There’s a roundup of our favourite summer summits here.

A recent snowy hike and swim in the hills near our home.

And successfully keeping this newsletter going for one whole year!

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Well, this is us signing off for Christmas and for the year, so whatever and whenever you celebrate over the winter we wish you season’s greetings and offer huge thanks to those that have supported us throughout the year.

Solstice blessings,

Andrew, Emma and Benji

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