Hello , dearest daydreamer. Welcome to the Isle of Neverwas and the Lost and Found Exchange.

The weather has remained frosty, and the air is fizzing with excitement. Today is the seventh day of Yule, and we are heading to Willow Stream to go ice skating.

It is a beautiful, bright, sunny day, and the sky is a deep turquoise blue. Small wisps of white cloud dust the sky. The sun glistens off the crisp snow, and the ice sparkles. When the weather is this cold, Willow Stream freezes,  a thick frost making it perfect for ice skating. 

The island folk walk along the banks of the stream until they reach the perfect spot for ice skating. Nobody quite knows how this is decided, but every year it is the best spot. This is an occasion for the islanders to wear their new winter clothes. They are wearing their new hats, scarves, and gloves. 

Little ones sit on top of painted wooden sledges, pulled along by older siblings and parents. Families stop and chat to one another, pausing for a while before continuing their walk along the banks of the stream.  The younger islanders run through the snow, calling to each other, squealing and laughing, dodging snowballs as they are hurled through the air. Many of the snowy orbs missing their targets, breaking apart on the ice with a soft thud. 

The fairy folk sit at the picnic benches that are dotted along the banks of the frozen stream, putting their ice skates on before gingerly making their way to the ice. The older island residents appear transformed, as they twirl around on the spot or race old friends around the outside of the rink.

Mr and Mrs. Morris can be seen dancing together in the middle of the stream. For a troll, Mr. Morris is surprisingly graceful. Astride, the fairy notices the dancers and fills the air with the notes of soft fairy music. Other dancers join them in the centre of the stream. 

Some of the island’s youngest residents are learning to skate for the first time. They nervously move on the ice, their mittened hands holding tightly to the hands of aunts and uncles, parents, and grandparents as they maneuver around the rink. Some might even feel confident enough to skate by themselves. Inevitably, more than one of the islanders will end up landing on their bottoms or sprawled out on the ice, friends holding out hands to help them up.

Not all of the island folk like ice skating; instead, they will sit at one of the benches with a picnic, enjoying the merriment, watching friends and family skate. Other islanders are there to enjoy the snow, throwing snowballs, making snowmen and snow castles, like sandcastles but made with snow. You get the idea. 

A group of islanders has decided to build a choir of snowmen. They spend the afternoon building five snowmen in a small group to look like carol singers. Buttons are produced from pockets, carrots from picnic baskets, and old scarves and mittens are pulled from bags. They scavenge for other materials, such as twigs, to make their snowy creations. The snowy singers are all different shapes and sizes. The completed choir is enchanted by Pixie’s nan. She loves to listen to carols.

By late afternoon, as the sun begins to set and the temperature falls, the island folk begin to make their way back home. It’s time to rest and recharge with a warm bowl of soup and some cheese on toast.

For my daydreamers, mischief-makers, and restless souls. Welcome to the Isle of Neverwas. You are home.