Chirpy chirpy chip chip

I've had a happy day.  Not yippee, wa'hay happiness, but the everyday contented sort that comes from fresh air and blue sky (walking the Boy to school); and from challenging exercise (I made it to the ice-rink and I'm getting closer to nailing those fiendish Mohawk turns); meeting up with a friend (for coffee, a pastry and setting the world to rights); a spot of creativity (mucking about with wire and beads); and a sense of accomplishment (managing to finalize arrangements for a fair trade meeting I've been trying to organise all week).

Another job today - Twelfth Night - has been taking down the Christmas decorations.  It's a task I get to do mainly by myself as everyone else deems it "too depressing".  Yes, it's a shame to say goodbye to the pretty lights and ornaments, but I honestly don't mind.  It feels like it's time.  Most of our neighbours haven't waited this long - there have been trees lying out by the roadside since New Year's Day, waiting for the Town recycling service to come by and chip them.

Another way to re-use an old Christmas tree, I learnt today from a bird-related radio phone-in, is to leave it sticking upright in the snow for the rest of the winter, as a shelter for the feathered ones.  I also learnt that it's possible to teach chickadees to feed from your hand - which sounds rather cool - but the cheery expert added that although it does the birds no harm and it's a great way to show off to your friends, it can soon get a bit old being bombarded by hungry chickadees every time you set foot outside your house.