Plum Blossom in the Lake District
Photographed by Gill Henwood
Let us be be grateful
to people who make us happy.
They are the charming gardeners
who make our souls blossom.
~ Marcel Proust ~
Photograph by Gill Henwood
And so the spring buds burst.
Tag: Gill Henwood
Ordinary Time?
The short period between the end of the Christmas Season (at Candlemass on February 2nd) and Lent, is known in the Church as ‘Ordinary Time’.
As far as Nature is concerned this is very far from the truth. In the Western Hemisphere and particularly in Europe we are moving into the season of Spring. Though in many parts of Europe it has been a particularly stormy and wet period of late, there are many signs that there is new life emerging from the earth.
The photos which my friend Gill Henwood has sent show “hellebores in full flower and an early rhododendron.” She says that “both were budding before Christmas and, so far, have weathered frost and wind”, not forgetting hares which have turned their attention towards other plants this year!
The Christmas Box plant has been wafting beautiful scent throughout Cristmastide. The aroma is fabulous even on dark mornings and dark night walks in the garden. For Gill, this is a reminder of the Frankincense of Christmas.
The ‘Greening’ of the earth which Gill’s photos point to is being experienced through the emergence of buds and bulbs shooting on branches and in the soil. Crocus and daffodil are close behind. My tulips are pushing leaves through the top of the pots, seeking the breath of light and life. This morning, near the church path, buds and a dusting of green spoke to me of God’s amazing creative activity. This Winter has been harsh for many and the world situation is so dire that there is a need for us to re-focus.
Right on cue we can fill our lungs with a breath of hope and wonder.
We can find joy in the singing of the birds and soon the animal kingdom will fill our fields, forests & woodlands and gardens with new life. Bees and butterflies, insects and worms will populate our gardens, hedgerows,lakes and ponds. So much new life and growth will teem and swirl, dance full of life and reach to heaven as the trees prepare to become shade and homes and hiding places for all manner of creation..
And we? The Spirituality of Nature lifts our souls from creation to Creator.
All this is gift from our giving God!
And in a mutual thanksgiving, our part is to be custodians and stewards of the earth, living in deep friendship with Creation, Nature, and with all who allow us to share this earth with them.
As the poet Rumi reminds us:
Such a giving from God leaves no room for anything from us but compassion and love for all.
Hardly an Ordinary Time!
[Mr G. with thanks and love to Gill Henwood for her wonderful photos
and comments.]
A Surprise of Creation
Scarlet elf cup (Sarcoscypha austriaca)
These photos come from my friend, Gill Henwood.
Gill was tidying up her garden ready for Spring recently. –
“We found this in our damp dell whilst cutting back ferns to give emerging snowdrops more light.
This is a Scarlet Elf Cup (Fungus), A beautiful deep scarlet, hidden within the soft blush cup.
Vibrant colour, in a woodland floor of decaying twigs and leaves, and mosses.
Creation surprises us with unexpected delights. Rich red on a gloomy, cloudy, drizzling day.”
For more information, visit the Woodland Trust website, which describes the Elf Cup as ‘Mystical and cheery.’ Mystical and cheery, the scarlet elf cup grows on decaying sticks and branches in damp spots and beneath leaf litter on the woodland floor. Their bright pops of colour brighten up even the darkest winter day.
Elsewhere we read that, ‘The Scarlet Elf Cup’ gets its name from folklore that says woodland elves use the vibrant, cup-shaped fungi as tiny goblets to drink morning dew or that fairies bathe in the rainwater collected in them. Its bright red colour against the winter woodland floor, combined with its delicate, cup-like shape, inspired these imaginative tales of mythical beings.
Elf-cups (a poem by Mr G)
Hidden beneath decaying leaves
forest debris moves.
Soil crumbles beneath finger and thumb
of creation’s constant action.
Earth changing shape as pale wintry light
penetrates the woodland womb
bringing to birth cup-like, colourful fungi
signs that winter prepares to herald Spring.
God’s creation always surprises us,
if we but look with open hearts
ever expectant to be captivated.
Yet look again – these chalices of winter dew
may carry Nature’s sacrament of new life
to waiting elves!
Mr G. 24th January 2026
The King’s Cake
This photo of an amazing and mouth-watering cake was sent to me by my friend Gill Henwood. It was made by her daughter Kathleen for the delectation of her two sons.
The cake is known as Galette des Rois, literally the Kings’ Cake. The name derives from the Kings or Wise Men who visited the infant Jesus in Bethlehem, having seen a bright star in the East. These Magi (Wise Men) travelled taking their bearings from the Star. The Gospel account recorded by Matthew in Chapter 2, verses 2 to 12, tells us of their journey, their visit to King Herod and then the arrival at the home of Jesus. Here, they knelt to pay Jesus homage and presented Him with three gifts ~ Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh.
Each of the gifts had a significance. Gold was given because Jesus is worshipped as a King; Incense to celebrate His Divinity (God) and Myrrh which is used to embalm the dead. It was a foretelling of the Crucifixion when the Son of God died for the well-being of humanity and opened the way for us to turn aside from sin and so live for God and in the depth of God’s love for us.
The feast of the visit of the Wise Men is known as the Epiphany – the showing forth of God’s Glory. There are other Epiphanies during this extended Christmas season to Candlemass (February 2nd). The Epiphany to the Magi is kept on January 6th, which coincides with Christmas Day in the Eastern Orthodox Churches.
Because the Wise Men brought three gifts it is commonly held that there were 3 of them and because they travelled from the East over desert lands, it is believed that they rode on three camels.
Later documents increased the number of kings – St John Chrysostom even suggested that there were 12 of them!
The Venerable Bede, writing in the 7th Century named them and that has become fairly definitive – Balthazar, Gaspar (Caspar) and Melchior.
Many other legends and customs grew up around them.
The Galette des Rois is one of them.
In many places on the night before the feast of Epiphany, a special cake would be served with three beans hidden inside, two white beans and one black one. Whoever found the beans would be the King at the Epiphany feast. Dressed in fine robes, they would preside over the feast and before leaving would hand out small gifts, equivalents of gold, frankincense and myrrh. In the royal courts of the Middle Ages, Epiphany Cakes would contain a bean for the king and a pea for the Queen. Whoever found the bean and the pea would be the King and Queen of the feast. A more recent variation is that the figure baked into the cake (especially in France) is a tiny plastic or ceramic statue of Christ. An alternative name for the Cake is therefore Christ cake. Whoever found the statue would be especially blessed throughout the coming year.
There are many recipes available for making the cake, especially in France, from where it takes its name. It is as popular in France as the Christmas Cake or Pudding are in Great Britain. The cake itself can be made with puff pastry, though often it is brioche. It is often filled with frangipane, an almond paste. As you will see on Kathleen’s cake, it is decorated with crowns and small figures of the kings. There are hearts representing God’s love and in the centre, a circle of pastry which tells me about this love of God which is eternal.
Though we are beyond January 6th it is not too late to bake a Galette des Rois. In France it is quite common to eat this cake throughout January.
A Prayer for the Galette des Rois
O God, guiding light of the world,
As we share this Galette des Rois, we remember the journey of the Magi,
Who followed a star to find Your Son, Jesus,.
Bless this cake, a symbol of our gathering,
And bless each person who shares it with us today,
May we find the hidden bean, and in that simple joy,
Find a reminder of Your grace,.
May we be guided by Your light through the darkness,
May we share our blessings and our love,
And may the sweetness of this moment bring us closer to You,
And to one another.
[Mr G. 9th January 2026]
Mr G's Ponderings 