Winter Stroll at the Conservatory

"I look upon the pleasure which we take in a garden as one

of the most innocent delights in human life. . . . It is naturally apt

to fill the mind with calmness and tranquility."

JOSEPH ADDISON, from The Spectator, 1712

I peer out my study window and look at my snow-covered garden and, though it looks pretty with all the snow, everything lays buried, dormant. Which is why it's such a treat when it's cold and frosty outdoors to have a place nearby where a person can slip inside to enjoy a few of those garden delights that fill our minds with calmness and tranquility.

 

The Muttart Conservatory always has its Christmas display up in time for our wedding anniversary. In fact, it was at the Conservatory twenty-six years ago where, nestled amongst the pink poinsettias, we had our wedding photos taken. Which is why it ever holds a special place in our hearts. Last week, we spent a delightful afternoon ambling through the four pyramid pavilions: Tropical, Arid, Temperate, and Feature Season. I like walking through the Feature pavilion at the end of our stroll, so our minds are filled with season's delights and our cozy memories as we head back out into a cold, grey day.

Here are a few photos from our visit contrasting the floral displays with quotes of the season's winter mood. Hope you enjoy!

"It is afternoon, which in winter is evening."

RICHARD JEFFERIES

'Haunts of the Lapwing', 1883

"The year begins to close when there is neither

twelve hours of daylight nor a perceptible nightfall,

just December afternoons."

RONALD BLYTHE

'Failing Light' from Out of the Valley:

Another Year at Wormingford, 2000

"In the west the winter sky is streaked with cirrus clouds that

look as if they have been combed across the heavens by a giant hand.

A weak sun filters through as it sinks towards the horizon,

a cold cerulean blue fading to cream white as it nears the earth.

. . . a deep chill settles in the air."

JANET WILLONER

from Winter Anthology, 2016

"So quiet and subtle is the beauty of December that escapes the

notice of many people their whole lives through. Colour gives

way to form: every branch distinct, in a delicate tracery against

the sky. New vistas, obscured all Summer by leafage, now open up."

FLORA THOMPSON

"It is just as good to come in (from outside). You stamp to shake the

snow from your boots. The flakes of snow on your coat melt instantly.

Your glasses steam up. You close the door and thank God you

remembered to put the hall light on a timer."

NIGEL SLATER

from The Christmas Chronicles

"It was a day when frost and sunshine combined

went to one's head like iced champagne."

from The Irish R.M., 1928

"Anne came dancing home in the purple

winter twilight across the snowy places."

L.M. MONTGOMERY

Anne of Green Gables

"He who marvels at the beauty of the world in summer

will find equal cause for wonder and admiration in winter. . .

In winter the stars seem to have rekindled their fires, the

moon achieves a fuller triumph, and the heavens wear

a look of a more exalted simplicity."

JOHN BURROUGHS

❦

Thanks for stopping by.

Hope you are enjoying a beautiful day,

Brenda

Photo credits:

Brenda Leyland @ It's A Beautiful Life