Solstice! Winter Solstice...in June.

Just like it seems strange to have Christmas in summertime, it doesn't feel right to have winter solstice in June. When I start to write a "J" for the month, I have to stop myself from finishing it with "...anuary."

But we know it's winter. It's often under starlight that I head off the boat for yoga practice, and it's dark again well before dinnertime. Mornings are crisp: it was 48F/8C on my way to the studio this morning. It's still subtropical, though... our days are balmy. The sun is at its northernmost point, and the days are markedly shorter.

Although we're just a little over 27 degrees south, the latitude is enough for meaningful seasonal changes compared to our recent years in the tropics. It's a joy to mark the inflection point in the seasons, and think about longer days ahead.

Before baking

Mairen got into the spirit a week ahead when she caught me looking at sun bread recipes. She was ready to start....NOW!

Fresh from the oven! No, not the solar oven.

A bigger celebration was planned for the 21st, but Jamie caught a flu bug so we kept it low key. A few candles. A few stories: what the celebration meant in years gone by. How so many have lost touch with the fundamentals. The connection between Christmas and Yule. And we had a sunny supper: a 'sunset' pumpkin and golden potato soup and a salad studded with jewel-like pamplemousse, which looks like little as much as a (slighly lumpy) big sun.

The girls and their sun bread creation