Best Wishes FUR a Cool Yule, Everyone!

[Lilith]

Well, in the sense of 'great' not chilly; hope all of you and your furries and smoothies and featheries are keeping nice and warm, especially in view of the coming storm; stay safe.

Being a Pagan, today is my festival, the Solstice, when the 'wheel of the year' ('Yule' means 'wheel') turns towards the sun.

A bit of music - I WAS going to post a link to the Beatles' 'Here Comes the Sun' but you can't get that on Youtube now - a lot of good stuff has vanished due to tightening up of copyrights; has the golden age of Youtube gone forever?

However here are a couple of more offbeat offerings - a track by the singer Stanislas, a pretty bit of ear and eye candy lol - 'Le Manege' - the merry-go-round, in honour of the year turning:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgKv_qXOUuM

And:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zwte6ctamMU

The Mediaeval Baebes singing 'Quan vay la Lauzeta' - traditional lovesick troubadour piece which opens with the image of the lark (lauzeta) flying up to the sun.

For those who've had a bad year, may things begin to get better; may we all have a peaceful, safe,happy and prosperous year ahead and Season's Greetings, however you celebrate, from Lil, Emily, Mouse, Molly and Shahi the royal python - Blessed Be!

[Judy Barnett]

Hi Lilith, my stepdaughter is a pagan and she too went to a celebration for the solstice. Her first wedding was a pagan blessing which was held outdoors. It was beautiful, even my mother was impressed. She has two cats, I'll try to get her to join us.

[bobbys girl]

It's not just Pagans who welcome the return of the sun! Especially when at 9.30 in the morning it is just about light enough to see the hail lashing horizontally past the window, yuk!

Bob just made it back in in time. I have a soggy little cat on my knee as I type - he's purring away like a little tractor.

Shame you can't get 'here comes the sun', just the right song for today.

[Ruth B]

As another pagan I also wish everyone a happy solstice. Here comes the Sun may not be available on you tube but Jethro Tull's Solstice Bells is, so that's my suggestion for the day. A day to light a candle to remember the year gone by and to encourage the sun to rise in the morning, though with the cloud cover I doubt I'll be seeing it much tomorrow.

My three furballs are happily curled up on the bed with no intention of braving the cold and wet outside, although it seems I'm far enough south to be missing the worst of the storm.

I may not celebrate Christmas from a Christian stand point, but I'm as happy to indulge in fairy light, presents and excessive amounts of turkey and pigs in blankets with the rest of the family, and with 5 cats between us (plus my sister's neighbour's cat which regularly visits her) there won't be any turkey going to waste.

So Happy Whatever Day You Want to Celebrate, and may the next year be a good one.

[Lilith]

Hey great, always good to find more Pagans around

And the sun's just come out ... it's an intensely charged time of year whatever your beliefs I think - Bobbys girl hope there's some sun in Fermanagh.

Ruth, that's perfect, forgotten about that track for decades, would have chosen it myself if I'd realised

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=jet ... &FORM=VIRE

[bobbys girl]

Had a lovely sunny day - eventually! But from the look of it Donegal wasn't so lucky. We are right on the border and the sky at the back of our house was black!

Shortest day nearly over - onwards and upwards.

[catslave16]

As someone who suffers from Seasonal Affective Disorder (winter depression) I celebrate LIGHT - sunlight, candle light, fairy lights, yes, even the naff inflatable Santas, Rudolfs, penguins and parcels in people's front gardens, as long as they sport strings of lights! So Season's Greetings to you all, whatever your beliefs or non-beliefs, and may the cats in your lives continue to give you joy in 2017 and far beyond. Erica

[Ruth B]

While I don't (officially) suffer from SAD I always was a dawn to dusk person and hated getting up on a dark winter morning . A few years ago I invested in one of those Sunrise Alarm clocks that slowly lights up before the alarm comes on. £100 for an alarm clock seemed rather over the top at the time but has been well worth it. I think you do need to pay for the more expensive ones as it isn't only the fact that it does light up, it is the colour spectrum it goes through that helps as well.

[Lilith]

I look forward to the Solstice because of the atmosphere, but actually like to hibernate, I don't mind how murky the day is if I can cosy up - but I do like lights - even used to have them lining the staircase (it was painted black and I had 2 black cats so needed extra illumination for safety) only eventually, with cats in the house, they became furry lights...

Never heard of those alarm clocks - sound like a cool thing for anyone who suffers from the dreaded SAD.

My Solstice was quite busy as I heard only the night before that The Men (yes, the same firm who invaded the house in the summer) were arriving to repair my roof. My house got a bit neglected and everything needed doing at once, and I was VERY glad to see the roofers in view of the impending Storm Barbara - all you guys in the North, all the very best and paws crossed that the weather's not as dramatic as the Met Office predicts. Still I cooked turkey later on. I know, I know, feel guilty about something dying, but I'm an omnivore and the cats are carnivores and there it is, and to make matters worse I had this 1920s comic song floating round in my brain:-

...Who'd be an onion? Surrounded by sorrow! And pity the poor tomato - always in the soup!

Don't be cruel to a vegetabuel,
Always take its part.
Don't be cruel to a vegetabuel -
Remember, a lettuce has a heart!
If you please, don't split peas,
No matter how tasty on the tongue.
And remember when you order up your Brussels sprouts,
You're depriving a cabbage of its young!

Don't be cruel to a vegetabuel,
Always take its part.
Don't be cruel to a vegetabuel.
Remember, a lettuce has a heart...
If you please, don't split peas,
No matter how tasty and how sweet.
And be careful what you say because the cabbage stalks -
And even little radishes repeat!

The cats, wolfing turkey neck and giblets, were spared the agonies I underwent, consigning innocent carrots and infant cabbages to the steamer ...

You guys celebrating Christmas with the traditional lunch have yet to face this.

Me, I plan to cook a paella ...how do I explain this to the onions and sweet peppers though

[Mayday21]

Hi Folks I too like daylight hrs. Tomorrow Xmas Eve here & i'm off camping returning Christmas Day. Only one night away from the 3 Puss-Kateers. Hope everyone has a great Xmas Day. Most will be experiencing 'cold' me hot. Albeit I'll be @ Queen Mary Falls if anyone wants to Google. Vivian

[bobbys girl]

Lilith - I'm just trying to picture furry lights. It's still not light here, but from the noise out there it certainly lives up to the title 'The Wild West' this morning. Just glad we had those trees cut down - especially now we have had them chopped up and stacked. The wind is roaring in the chimney, oo 'eck!

Bob has just skidded into the lounge, soaking wet and yelling for his breakfast. I usually do 2 cards for Christmas, I posted one, perhaps it should have been this one.

Have a lovely time Vivian. I'd better go feed the boy!

[Lilith]

Oooo I must google that place, Vivian; sounds idyllic, hope you have a great time

Another brilliant card, Bobbys girl, fab! Yup, it's pretty wild here too and Wakefield is sheltered compared to most; hope everyone stays safe. Glad you got your trees felled; I reckon something like this could have brought them down.

Are you going to be able to saw them up for fuel? Gorgeous log fires and all that?

[bobbys girl]

After weeks of them piled up in the drive, a friend of OH's called over with a log-splitter and we have a mountain of logs for the stove.

[Mayday21]

A quick post Bbby's Girl love the card - is this the one featured on BBC? Internet will be a tad unstable at Queen Mary Falls. Aaaahhhh log fires & the cold Vivian

[Lilith]

I don't know which is better - that gorgeous waterfall and countryside - WOW! or the prospect of a blazing wood stove - best of both worlds eh?

[bobbys girl]

Vivian - thank you for that. No, the 'BBC' card was Santa Paws. The up-side of dodgy internet connection - bit of peace and quiet and no flippin' adverts, Yay! Enjoy!

Lilith - we have some pretty stunning countryside around here, but in this weather the fireside is definitely the best option!

[Mayday21]

Hi Lilith & Bobbys Girl the Falls were glorious & being at some height it was cool. Spotted a couple of rock wallabies while walking back from the falls. And the bird life gorgeous. We drove around 300klms made up of long way there & scenic route home -shorter but road very windey & narrow not suitable for caravans, trucks & buses. Sadly a few native animals on the side of the road which upsets me. The 3 Puss-keteers were pleased to see me home. Vivian

[bobbys girl]

Vivian - glad you had a good time.

We had a lovely day. Took some chicken down to the Car Park Cats. Didn't see Vicky but her dad TC enjoyed his dinner. The old lad is looking really well, but he is still very timid - unlike his vocal daughter. Not too worried as the weather was not good she's proably tucked up somewhere cosy. I left some chiken where I normally feed her.

Can't believe how much food we got this year. We'll still be eating mince pies at easter! Still, someone has to eat them! Hope you all had a nice day.

[Walesgang]

Hope everyone and their furbabes have had a lovely Christmas - all quiet and calm in west Wales!

[Lilith]

Wow, Mayday, it sounds incredible, such a shame though that the wildlife suffers on the roads

Still windy here, Bobbys girl, so I expect it is in NI; glad you managed to visit the carpark cats; yeah even though there's only one of me the fridge is overflowing, veggies mostly; thank heaven for the old cellar slab, perfect at this time of year.

Glad Wales has escaped the storm, Walesgang - it's usually Cornwall, Wales and Scotland that catch the roughest weather.

A happy Boxing Day everyone

[Janey]

Happy Christmas and Boxing Day to you too. Hope it was good for all