Five on Friday: Reveling in Quiet

 

Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. 
Ralph Waldo Emerson

The quieter days of January are welcome after a busy festive season. December was busier than usual, and in looking back, we had at least two events on our calendar for each weekend of the month - usually hosted here, occasionally elsewhere. That's a lot of social engagement for this introvert. 

It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men's hearts,
as for that subtle something, that quality of air, that emanation from old trees,
that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit.
Robert Louis Stevenson

Today has been a mixed bag of weather. For a few moments I admired the pale sunlight washing the living room in delicate light, throwing shadows onto the furniture and walls. Now, however, wind moans about the house, dark clouds scud across the sky, and rain will soon follow. 

I'm back to continuing my writing project after a month away, and was happy to get right back into the rhythm. 

The days are short. The sun a spark hung thin between the dark and dark. 
John Updike

January is a good month for reading, curled up in a comfortable chair with a warm shawl around one's shoulders and a cup of tea alongside. 

I recently finished The Shepherd's Life by James Rebanks, learning much about the business of keeping sheep, and of the farmers' connection to the land in the Lakes District of England. 

I've just begun Louise Penny's latest A World of Curiosities and am looking forward to getting deeper into the story. 

Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand 
and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.
Edith Sitwell

Above is a photo of the dinner table at my parents' home last week. I've added a watercolour pencil effect to the photo. I just love my mom's china and remember her collecting it over the years when I was a child. My mother enjoys setting a beautiful table, something I enjoy, too, having learned it from her. 

Good food is very often, even most often, 
simple food.

Anthony Bourdain

After the delicious indulgences of December, it's time to get back to more simple eating. Today a pot of vegetable soup simmers on the stove, to be accompanied by good bread and a bit of cheese. The other day I used up a solitary beet, a few carrots, mushrooms that were past their best in a roasted vegetable medley to which I added some leftover chopped deli ham and feta cheese. 

Five quotes that reflect January quiet to me, and five photos with commentary. On that note, I wish you all a good weekend. I know that I am looking forward to a quiet one.