The Light Returns: Solstice beside the Salish Sea

It is Christmas day. We are house-sitting with Carson the Cat in a Victorian house in Victoria, British Columbia.

Yesterday we were moved by a delightful reading of Dylan Thomas’ “A Child’s Christmas in Wales” by narrator Nelville Jones, a Victorian Welshman. Interwoven between story segments were unexpectedly lovely arrangements of classic “carols” sung by the small and exquisitely tuned Vox Humana choir.

This lovely performance was set in a Victorian era church where late afternoon light shone through the floral mandala stained glass windows. On our way home, Robyn captured these lights outlining the Parliament buildings (above).

We left Bowen Island for Victoria the day after winter solstice, two days after Robin’s birthday. I wrote on her birthday:

We awoke today on Robin’s birthday morning to snowflakes gently falling on six inches of soft snow fallen overnight.

We wrapped ourselves warmly in our chilly little house and listened to traditional holiday music on internet radio. 

After lunch we shared her birthday gift of hand-crafted very dark chocolate from the local Bowen Island chocolatier. Yum!

In the late afternoon gathering dark we hiked the trail down to the quarry ponds topped with milk-hued snow-ice.

As the day’s gray light faded, Robyn caught this image of our little house sitting beside the house whose warm welcoming lights reflect the spirit of our very generous host Dave Pollard.

Truly a lovely and loving birthday at this moment’s pause in the midst of our travel magic and adventure.