It was fun talking to you on Christmas eve. I shall need to tell you something about my 'conversation' with Father Christmas (who arrived just out of face-time frame) one day- but that can wait.
It was also charming to see Annabel's delight- again on face-time over her favourite gift- a music-box that played 'La Vie en Rose'- GiGi's favourite piece and sentiment.
Oh, the magical joys for children at Christmas.
Grumpa and I, as I mentioned in my last post- were set to enjoy a well-earned rest- post house and shop move.
Which we did. Our little cattle shed cottage, a completely different environment to Christmasses-past. No little children, no big children (no Monopoly- that Uncle Eddie insists we play every year.)
Even Uncle Joe was away, as you know, because he came to you for his birthday two days ago- and Daddy, Uncle Ed and him painted the town of Tonbridge Wells their own particular shade of vermillion.
And you know what Em, that's just how it should be. We had just what we needed. A rest-ful, cosy and peaceful Christmas, peppered with shop days, Lifeboat for Grumpa, and lunch over with Kyra of Cowes.
Ahh, and I got to finish my December painting. Whilst I was about its painting- I kept thinking about 'Ygdrasil' which was a doodle that a character called Henrietta made constantly throughout Agatha Christie's 'The Hollow'.
Though I haven't read it since I was about thirteen, something about the imaginary wriggly tree seemed aposite.
So, I nick-named it Ygdrasil. It is our Beech tree here in our garden Em- a magnificent old beast of a tree. I'm very fond of it.
As I neared finishing my painting- I looked up Ygdrasil- thinking it only a Christie phenomenon- and here's my findings- (Wiki)
The cosmos in Pagan Norse mythology consist of Nine Worlds that flank a central cosmological tree,Yggdrasil;
Pronounced [ˈyɡːˌdrasilː]) it is an immense tree that is central in Norse cosmology. Yggdrasil is attested in thePoetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson. In both sources, Yggdrasil is an immense ash tree that is central and considered very holy. The gods go to Yggdrasil daily to assemble. The branches of Yggdrasil extend far into the heavens, and the tree is supported by three roots that extend far away into other locations; one to the wellUrðarbrunnr in the heavens, one to the spring Hvergelmir, and another to the well Mímisbrunnr. Creatures live within Yggdrasil, including the wyrm (dragon) Níðhöggr, an unnamed eagle, and the stags Dáinn, Dvalinn, Duneyrr and Duraþrór.
Conflicting scholarly theories have been proposed about the etymology of the name Yggdrasill, the possibility that the tree is of another species than ash, the relation to tree lore and to Eurasian shamanic lore, the possible relation to the trees Mímameiðr and Læraðr, Hoddmímis holt, the sacred tree at Uppsala, and the fate of Yggdrasil during the events of Ragnarök.
Around Yggdrasil, units of time and elements of the cosmology are personified as deities or beings. Various forms of a creation myth are recounted, where the world is created from the flesh of the primordial being Ymir, and the first two humans are Ask and Embla. These worlds are foretold to be reborn after the events ofRagnarök, when an immense battle occurs between the gods and their enemies, and the world is enveloped in flames, only to be reborn anew. There the surviving gods will meet, and the land will be fertile and green, and two humans will repopulate the world.
Hah! More reason to research if ever I needed some.
Here is my picture- I hope you like it.
And so we shall see you here in January Emily- looking forwards to it very much. I hope you have had a marvellous Christmas- see you next year,
your ever-loving Grand-mother, GiGi xxx
Ah. Christmas magic.
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