Winter was here. And it was not a normal UK early winter, either. The temperature plummeted, the snow began to swirl, and water locked itself away in ice.
I, however, was warm and toasty in my shelter, enjoying the change in weather and keeping myself cosy by my fire making Christmas presents. I don’t want to spoil what happened during this week—read on to find out.
Rather delightfully, this week at our home in the French Alps, thirteen years to the day after it began to fall at Four Skull Shack, the first snowflakes of the season drifted from the sky.
Read more at the introduction where, if you wish to catch up, you can also find a full content list, broken into each of the weeks I spent out in the woods.
You should click the Notes below to read the full text and view any attached photographs, some—or all—of which might not show here.
You might also have to open this email in a browser, as it is probably far too long for some clients.
Although it is not directly linked to this adventure, I thought I would mention the following post, which is my summary and sort-of conclusion of four years of sending out a letter. The key point of this piece, which links neatly to A Fall in Time is this:
Everyone’s journey is different.
Whether this relates to how we move through life physically, emotionally, mentally, how we negotiate sharing a letter, or those moments when we decide to undertake something unusual—such as spending weeks alone in the woods—this diversity and difference in path should always be something to celebrate.
One of things I talk about in my Four Years of My Letter post is that I will be raising the price of my paid subscription offer in the new year. Now is a good time to sign up, if you are thinking of doing so, to lock-in the current prices (which are the lowest Substack allows). To make it even more tempting, I’ve also put together a special offer, to celebrate four years of consistent posting. This will be applied to any new annual subscriptions, up until the 25th of December, just follow the link if you are interested.
I’ve yet to finalise the site and still have several forthcoming designs to add but I thought I’d give you a sneak peek at my Teemill site. There are t-shirts, hoodies, tops and bags, for starters, all from an ethical and sustainable company specialising in organic clothing and carefully sourced products.
This weekend, December 1st to the 3rd, there is free UK shipping. And, if you live further afield, the last date posting before Christmas is also approaching. It’s a work in progress, but I’ll be adding to it soon:
If there are any questions you have about A Fall in Time, do let me know and I shall do my best to answer them—not always immediately, but as soon as I can.
And if you enjoy this series, please do share it with a friend or family member, that would be wonderful—the more, the merrier. Or restack on Notes.
Finally, if you are enjoying these posts and wish to support my work, but do not want to pay to subscribe, you can now also leave a tip of any amount you desire1:
I’ve had tip buttons on various sites and places, whether KoFi, Paypal or others, for perhaps fifteen years now. I’ve never had anyone use them. I like having one, however, just in case, but I think the subscription model offers a much better deal, for the writer and, crucially, the reader.
I actually don’t want you to have had to leave... this adventure of feral living and oneness with nature has been spellbinding.
No need to reply Alex, I just wanted you to know... and also before I forget, your photos of snow filled skies; you captured the muddy colour clouds turn when heavy with snow perfectly... my favorites yet.
I am envious of the cold and water you have! It has been slightly warmer than normal around here, and very, very dry. I think we're going into year three of this drought, so all the icicle and snow photos are much appreciated!