A bitterly cold day. The snow swirls off the roof, and the little birds have abandoned the feeders in favour of shelter in the bushes..On the way home from church we saw a hawk, diving and circling with the tempetuous wind.

It reminded me of Hopkins' Windhover...

I CAUGHT this morning morning’s minion, king-
dom of daylight’s dauphin, dapple-dawn-drawn Falcon, in his riding
Of the rolling level underneath him steady air, and striding
High there, how he rung upon the rein of a wimpling wing
In his ecstasy! then off, off forth on swing,

But more than that, the wintry landscape and the blowing snow gave me cause to reflect on the benign sweetness of a summer's day, the great, growing greenness and the lively vitality of the garden, the valley, the meadows, the hills, and the bright blue of the sky.

Close the curtains, poke up the fire, and come and join me in a little Summertime nostalgia. And a little light summery music by Django Reinhardt - does it make you want to jig down the garden path?