Supplies: Halcyon Daze

From the designer —

The expression “halcyon days” refers to a fortnight of calm weather which occurs around the Winter Solstice. Over time it has become synonymous with a period of tranquillity in life, a special, golden time of peace and, nostalgically, with the long, sun-drenched days of youth.

In Greek legend ‘halcyon’ was another name for kingfisher. There was an ancient belief that the female bird built a floating nest on the sea at that time of year and that she charmed the wind and the waves to keep her precious nest safe from harm during the seven days of incubation and for a further seven days after her eggs had hatched and her chicks had fledged. And all the time, during these fourteen magical, halcyon days, the sea remained unnaturally flat calm and unruffled.