Nicky and I went for a snow walk – this time a semi-urban one within the realms of civilisation, so there was no chance of falling into a bog and dying of mud inhalation. The silence struck us almost as much as the sheer beauty of everything; as we wandered further from established paths and deeper into the woodland on the hill, the snow seemed to transform our surroundings into a magical, Narnia-like land. Any signs of new life were buried out of sight, although Nicky soon remedied this by stopping off at the shops on the way back and buying me a little pot of unidentified, shooting bulbs. Ok, this might have been cheating a little, but, as I haven’t a clue what they are, I am looking forward to the surprise of seeing what they turn into!
When we got back we saw paw prints in the snow, indicating that Nimbus had braved the elements. However, it appeared that she had bitten off more than she could chew – the tracks only headed out for a few feet before turning at a sharp angle and coming back indoors, showing us precisely the point where she suddenly thought, “What the hell am I DOING?” The rest of the neighbourhood wildlife has fared better than Nimbus – whilst clearing out our nut and grain cupboard (yes, we really do have a nut and grain cupboard) we unearthed piles of stale nuts and seeds which we had forgotten about, and which ended up providing a lovely feast for the birds. Not that there have been many takers so far – the big, scary ravens are monopolising the food and, as a result, no other birds dare go near it!
Not long after we put the food out, we settled down in front of the television and Nicky poured us some more ale to toast the rather unorthodox start of spring. Yum! Just as we thought things couldn’t get any better, my mobile phone bleeped – it was the school, telling me that Tuesday had also been declared a Snow Day. “What’s the one thing that’s better than a Snow Day at Imbolc?” asked Nicky. “TWO Snow Days at Imbolc! Plus magical skies, stunning walks … your goddess has been good to you, hasn’t she?”
He had no idea I had planned to change goddesses but he was right, and it was then that I realised I wasn’t ready to leave Brigit just yet. I also recalled the many Imbolc spells that I had read about, involving lighting candles in a bowl of snow, but that I had never been able to do before because there had never been any snow on Imbolc. (The spells often suggested using ice cubes from the freezer as an alternative, but it didn’t feel quite the same.) So, now that I see the first signs of thawing, I am off outside to scoop up a bowl of snow (let’s hope the neighbours don’t see me) and give my thanks to my loyal goddess for such an unforgettable Imbolc.
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