I'm not sure why, but I've always thought of houses as living beings. And so I feel acutely their shy reservation during winter, just as in summer I sense their mysterious beckoning.

Photographing early in the morning and late at night, something I never really did before, but that I want to do more and more. Look at all the magic these lonely hours hold: azure and ivory ecstasies bursting over slumbering houses; immaculate snow covering a gritty parking lot; the vertical prayers of roofs and pines to the dark; marks of passage frozen by moonlight; the waltzing phantoms of wind and trees. ♥

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Sehr Geehrter Winter,
Your lines & textures are delicious. I can't stop collecting them. Indigo swirls, earth coloured coiling snakes, witches' fingers in the moonlight. I am yours. ♥

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The mark is slight, but the affection deeply meant.

When she sets that little fire behind all the houses, oh how thankful I am to know her. I only wish she knew, for then it might happen more often. I miss your louder voice, mother, there has been too much muffled whispering, and not enough singing.

I am not a big drinker at all, but I simply can't resist some blush wine. The first time I had it was in a big square in Tours. When I finished those few glasses I felt like the sky in a Watteau painting; sparkling, silky, warm, immense! Vena is one of my favourite brands, though lately I've also been drinking a Rosé D'Anjou (by Rémy Pannier) that is just gorgeous!

Darling Roger is our last addition to the canine love fest that is our home. He was found wandering with no collar, obese, arthritic, and with fur missing off his back as though someone has attempted to shave him. A pretty sad sight! But after months or proper dieting, regular exercise, and cuddling, he has become a healthy and terribly happy old chap. We adore him! Does he not remind you of cozy evenings by the fire in an English estate, after a day of proper winter mucking? Oh yes, if only I could given him (and all the others) just that!