winter wonderland....

Hello Sweet gentlewomen,

Picture this....

The woman is dressed in a dark grey coat with large black buttons.Her tiny feet are encased in red leather boots and her little fingers are cocooned in red leather gloves lined with grey flannel. Cosy.
The day is chilled but the sky is blue. She sits on a shiny metallic chair at a table set for two . She is alone with her head bent ravishing the words of her book. A steaming hot chocolate drink served in a high ball glass sits next to a plate .What delicacy is on the plate ? A crumbly biscuit base topped with a thick caramel filling and a dark choclate ganache.
The woman is lost on a private journey to an unknown place within the pages and suddenly the sound of the town clock prises her attention back to the tree lined street in which she sits.
The deep , old world chimes sing out. She looks towards the clocktower and sees the beautiful sandy stonework. The face of the clock is white andthe hands are black iron, beautiful in their flourishes.

The sound reflects a time in her past , memories of a little girl waiting for her mother on the steps of the Celtic cross with a view of the Town Hall clock. The snow powdery , sparkling and falling ever so gently onto her nose. The clock chiming in anticipation of her Mother's arrival. Anticipation of the visit to the toffee shop for a little white bag, inside filled with shards of caramel sweetness. Twenty pence of "broken bits" to last the whole day into tomorrow. .

The woman has removed her gloves and using the silver fork cuts into the chocolate ganache,down into the caramel and finally through the crumbly biscuit.Opening her mouth she pops the fork into her mouth and tastes the wonderful caramel sweetness from her grown up treat but captures the smile of the little girl and her toffee treat.

Looking along the street there are, like little grey soldiers, rows of trees that have lost their leaves. Their true identities bare to the world. Each tree with it's own character and yet in abundance a reflection of hope for the future when spring comes and provides them with a cloak in forty shades of green. Wrapped in leaves and flowers to continue the cycle.

Here in Bendigo , Victoria but... for a few brief moments memories of a Winter Wonderland in Europe , where I spent my childhood.
Love Coco xx