First published 16th December, 2021

“It’s a bitterly cold day, with beautiful clear blue sky. Ecobears Marlie, Savreth & Berry Scout are out in the garden, busily fixing some fences damaged by a recent storm. As they work they’re chatting about how much fun they had yesterday in the kitchen – jarring up the olives they’ve been preserving for weeks now. At long last the little fruits are ready to eat – tasting as olives should. The bears are laughing about how Baby Bear Rosa kept putting the odd one in her mouth, instead of pouring them all into the recycled glass jars. She had designated herself ‘chief taste tester’ – just an excuse to eat more olives!

Meanwhile, ecobear Baby Bear Rosa is across the other side of the garden, playing in the walnut tree with her friends JJ the monkey, Zana the rabbit & Tilda the hedgehog. They’ve noticed the tree starting to show signs of new buds on its branches already. The creatures are really surprised at how quickly the seasons are changing. Soon, the northern hemisphere Winter Solstice will be here. It marks the onset of winter at the time of the shortest day. JJ the monkey explains to his friends that: The earth has seasons because the world is tilted on its axis with regard to its orbit around the sun. Winter Solstice will be a time for the friends to reflect on themselves and their surroundings..”