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

Today is day nine of Yule. The last few days have been exciting, jam-packed with activities. It is time to slow down and find some peace and stillness before the new year begins. Let’s press pause for a moment, spend a few heartbeats together, and see what the isladers are up to today.

Dearest daydreamer, let’s start today at Bubble Beach. The wild swimmers are meeting as a group for the first time since the Yule Feast. Whatever the season, this dedicated group of swimmers can be found swimming in the sea. They meet at 6 am each morning, bracing themselves before rushing into the waves for a swim. It is bitterly cold, but this hardy group of island folk has swam in colder weather. They find it invigorating. Posy Bear has also made her way down to the beach. She has been out early to photograph the seabirds for her upcoming exhibition. She pauses for a moment, watching them splash through the waves, and wonders to herself how they can stand the cold, especially getting back out of the water. It makes her shiver at the thought of it. 

Elsewhere on the island, the sewing guild is meeting at Mrs. Morris’s tearoom for a catch-up. Leading up to Yule, the members of the sewing guild were kept extremely busy making all of the costumes for the pantomime. Today, most guild members have brought along small projects that fit into their pockets to work on while they’re chatting. Hamish has brought a pair of trousers that he is mending. The sewing guild usually meets once a week in Mrs. Morris’s tearoom. They actually use the room above to store their supplies. It can be tricky carrying large projects, such as pantomime costumes, back and forth. The space above the tearoom is also used for sewing lessons. The members of the guild enjoy promoting and sharing their skills. Hamish has a full-time job at the historical society. But every spare minute he spends stitching something. He was one of the crafters you spotted during the Yule Feast. Today they are catching up on all the gossip and enjoying a bowl of thick vegetable soup with huge slices of cheese and caramalised onion quiche. They are also enjoying many cups of tea. They are content in each other’s company and spend the whole afternoon together with friends stopping by their table to say hello.

Let’s watch a film, the cinema in Slumber-on-Sea is showing a marathon of Christmas movies. Most islanders choose not to have a TV in their home. They have so many other things they would rather do. If they are going to watch something, they want it to be an experience. The mountain trolls have decided this year to all wear their new Christmas pajamas to watch the special showing of a Muppet Christmas Carol. The back rows of this cinema have extra-large seats with more room to accommodate the larger island residents. The seats at the front have a step to help the smallest islanders. This is a sing-along version of the film. It is quite a sight to see five mountain trolls in Christmas PJS singing along to the songs from a Muppet Christmas Carol.

Let’s pop into Castle Nod for a moment. After the Yule Feast, King Otto is enjoying some quiet time with his best friend, Pirate Pete. They are sitting next to the fire in the Great Hall, playing a game of chess. They aren’t very good at playing this game, but they enjoy it and have resolved to get better at it. Albie the frog has been giving King Otto lessons. Otto is confident that this will give him the competitive advantage. What he doesn’t know is that Pirate Pete has also been getting lessons from Albie the Frog. Let’s leave them to it.

Back at Willow Stream, the island’s fairy folk are still making the most of the cold winter weather and are ice skating. Snowball fights continue, as do frosty winter walks. There are still some enchanted snowmen playing hide and seek between the trees, alongside the riverbank.

If you are feeling sleepy, you might decide to stay home, dearest daydreamer, read your book for a while with a nice cup of ginger and lemon tea or a mug of hot cocoa. It’s cold outside, so you might want to curl up on the sofa, lie back into the soft, squishy cushions with a blanket pulled over you. After a while, you may decide to take a nap and rest. Yule has been busy, and a little rest wouldn’t hurt.

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