Hanne's Cottage

It was in the height of summer Hanne’s Cottage was launched. Virtually and physically. Six months have passed. Leaves have fallen, trees have turned bare, the evenings are long and the silent wings of the owls are seen in the dusk setting out for their extended winter-night feast. Sometimes their one-note hooting, which I find oddly comforting, can be heard through the night.

The fire is lit, coffee is made and quietly a new dawn with its soft winter colours are greeting a late morning sun (note: on the rare days there is a sun). The light is glistening in the frosty crystals covering the long grass, barren branches and the last remnants of wildflower seeds. Seeds hungrily being picked by the many small birds doing their best to get through the colder months feeding from mother natures natural buffet. And perhaps a few extra seeds are added too, because I can’t help it when the little blue tit hovers outside the window waiting for me to come out and gently offer my cupped hand full of a nutty bite to this little bold creature. Getting bolder by the year. Counting three this winter

Winter. It’s a much favoured time of the year. The quiet and the low light brings out the creative side. Even if nothing visible is being created, it feels creative and that in and of itself is enough. Even in the wild storms and torrential rain, Hanne’s Cottage enhances a sense of peace, of being in the eye of the storm, a still point from where everything arises.

Hanne’s Cottage in the winter is not for everyone though. The mornings are chilly until the warm light and heat from the stove fills the air and although the shower is perfectly warm, it feels a bit like a dip in the Atlantic Ocean when you step out of it. Viking cold. Quite refreshing though…
That said; if you embrace stillness, storms, thick socks and woollen sweaters (!) and utterly rural there is no better place than being in this particular space of the heart of the Burren, Co. Clare, close to the sea.

Winter at Hanne’s Cottage 2022 – 2023. All photography copyright Hanne T. Fisker Photography Art.

To book a stay at Hanne’s Cottage please send a request here.