The longest night

Thanks mainly to our super Workaway, Chris, the HotHouse garden has been shorn to almost tidy. This year we finally bought a chainsaw - after many years of looking at them in DIY places and deciding they were far too scary. It's been used every day for about two weeks and has thus well and truly been a GOOD BUY.
I saved the bonfire lighting for the winter solstice night. We didn't dance around it or sing but just watched the hissing flames ride high into the inky sky.
It feels a little cheaty this year as we've only had one very slight frost and daytime temperatures of  early autumn. Roses are making a come-back and the artichokes are still in full leafage. A few misguided birds have started singing hopefully in the early mornings and the pear tree has put forth a few tentative clumps of blossom. Still, one always forgets what January, February and March can come up with . . .