Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve. The first day of the school holidays. Perhaps some of my colleagues would enjoy a lie-in this morning, but Orlando made sure I got up not long past my normal time. His insistent barking told me that I had quail and chickens to see to, who didn't understand the luxuries of holidays, and I (somewhat begrudgingly) got up and brushed my teeth ready to go downstairs.

I switched on the many Christmas lights, a job I love doing, and made up some more antibiotic solution for my male quail who has an abcess. Orlando, and Jess, waited as patiently as they could before I grabbed my head torch and went out into the darkness.

My routine is simple. On a day I'm not driving, I go to the garage to get more chicken food and quail food before going through to the kitchen garden to see to the quail first, telling Orlando to drop the log he's inevitably collected from the log store before I open the gate. Otherwise, he collects all our fuel in a pile in the orchard.

The quail were all fine, the poorly one's abcess having grown, he's booked in for another vet appointment, but he seems well in himself and delights in tipping up his water every time I put the antibiotics in.

Going through to the orchard with the dogs, I realised I had been mistaken before. It was not entirely dark. No. They was a discreet band of pinkish light emerging across the valley, stretching from Lythmore to where I knew Thurso would be a few miles away. For a while, I turned off my headlight and the dogs and I stood in the dark, looking across at the first light of Christmas Eve.

The chickens were already chattering away when I let them out of the house. It was too dark to roam the orchard, so they were shut in the coop. I heard on the news that bird flu had reached the Highlands, though still a hundred miles away from us, I'm anticipating a time when I won't be able to let the chickens into the orchard. For now, however, they'll enjoy time outside, scratching around for bugs and the like, and building up their muscles and strength for the winter.

The dog walk was beautiful, and the sky clear and wintry. It was only an hour until midday, yet the sun was low. At this time of year, my bedroom does not see direct sunlight. Though it faces south, the woodland blocks the low sun. Not that I would change it. I picked my bedroom, and then proceeded to design the pond area so I'd see it from my window every morning.

We saw two roe deer on the walk, who were completely unbothered by us and the dogs. They wandered along the fence at the far side of the field before running off to our neighbour's fields.

Later in the day, I did a bit of tidying in the yard, weeding some of the beds and placing the fish stones among the roses. I kept fish this year but, for some unknown reason, they didn't survive. I didn't everything that was recommended but every time I changed the filter, and put the filter boost in, they died. I put the tiny stones from their tank as a mulch on the roses as there was bits of fish poo in their that will give the plants a boost.

When it got dark, I went out to the Welcome Bed and stood, looking at the house lit up, looking at the lights entwining with the trees, at the crescent moon and the stars, and thinking about the first Christmas, wondering what the wise men felt when the saw the special star. There was a chill to the air tonight, and I stood and listened to the stream I could not see, and to the barn owl, and thought about Linnet's Story from The Children of Green Knowe, when Saint Christopher carries the baby Jesus to Midnight Mass.

Later, we went to deliver cards to the neighbours. We'd delivered our close neighbour's cards and presents the evening before, and stayed for a great chat with the farmer. This time, we walked along the lane to River Cottage, grateful for the head torch. There are no street lights here, but the starlight shone in the river, illuminating it like a silver ribbon.

Recipe for Lemon and Pomegranate Couscous for tomorrow's Christmas breakfast.

(Makes a lot! Plenty for 5 people plus extras for leftovers)

Ingredients 

600g couscous, with 700g boiling water (cover with boiling water and leave at least 5 mins. I left it for about half an hour!)

2 bunches spring onions, chopped finely.

2 boxes pomegranate seeds

2 lemons, zested and juiced

A handful of coriander, torn

A handful of grapes, sliced

18 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

So much pepper!

Mix all non couscous ingredients while the couscous is soaking.

To mix the couscous in, scraping it out of the bowl a bit at a time with a fork to fluff it up.

Mix well when all couscous is in and taste.