This is a subscriber-only article
December’s Moon
By Harry Leahy
The robin held her gatepost
where she shared it with the ice and snow
but as she looked down on the frozen ground
she could find no morsel down below,
the cows had made their call for hay
the hens and ducks and the geese were fed
when December evening sky called time
and the Sun had lowered her weary head.
Calves lay warm and plentiful
half lost in their bed of barley straw
the robin had bade her hungry farewell
and the cat pretended he never saw,
as our sun was lost to a Winter moon
that shined frosty slates upon the barns
and that timeless silence once more descended
across this valley of sleepy farms.
With our summer days on memories page
no rose or primrose could be seen
as naked trees swapped frosty gems
to replace their luscious leafy green,
no lazy summer sun hung high
to warm the heart or touch the face
and them wild birds gone’ to some foreign land
to escape this hardy winter place.
Our fading memories of harvest mornings
are blown away by this old wind’s blast
and our penance in this purgatory winter,
is displayed by the robin’s unwelcome fast
where this hungry day lays cold and dead
lamented by the north wind’s bitter tune,
but the jewel of my winter sky has awakened
in a galaxy of stars, my December moon.
It’s not too early to start prepping for Christmas dinner if, like me, you will have multiple mouths to feed. Gravy is one thing I can never seem to make enough of on Christmas Day, so I cheat a little bit and make some in advance, for freezing. Roast a few chickens and, once cooked, remove all of the meat from the bones (use it in salad or curry). Then, roast the bones with some carrot, celery, onion and fresh herbs. Once well browned in the oven, add them to a stock pot (add some boiled water to the roasting tin and scrape all the bits from the bottom), cover the bones and veggies with water and bring to a simmer. I let this pot simmer for several hours, until reduced by about half, then add a slurry of flour and water. Stir until thickened, then cool and finally freeze in freezer bags until needed. Add this to your turkey juices for a rich, indulgent gravy.
with Dr Catherine Keena, Teagasc countryside management specialist
Look out for bright shiny scarlet red rose hips on the briars of the dog rose. They contain seeds within protective irritating hairs giving them the name ‘itchy backs’ by children putting the hairy seeds down each other’s backs. Some birds are able to extract the seeds. Rose hips are an important source of food for birds and mammals such as field mice who eat the flesh of the hips. Rich in vitamin C, they are used in rose hip cordial. Does anyone remember collecting plastic bags of rose hips for their national school as part of a national collection to be sent to Africa?
Occasionally, when we feel we are “doing all the work”, it is a good idea to stop and acknowledge the other jobs that your partner may be doing or indeed the children. I speak of non-Christmas chores that continue all the year around.
Psychotherapist, Claire Lyons Forde on Coping with Christmas.
SHARING OPTIONS: