Sunday 28.2.2021

 Up the road just before seven on the most glorious cold morning: not a breath of wind, hard white frost, a blood red sun peering over the horizon as the now waning moon descended below the one opposite. 

The birds were already in full throat but in that icy, motionless air their songs and calls seemed to resonate even louder, echoing around the woods, topped by the noisy drummiing of a woodpecker.

The rising sun lit up the top of the trees and would soon dissipate the frost  

 but as we turned for home the open ground remained rock hard and sparkling, with only one tiny lonely reminder of the big snow. 

And so back to the full Sunday morning breakfast and coffee and more coffee.........

......when the day starts this well the rest of it has a lot to live up to.

Friday 26.2.2021

Weather: changeable

Terrain: shifting

Walks: various

Mountains of snow, catkins, blizzards, dawn chorus, knee-deep drifts, snowdrops.......... Is it still deep winter or are there signs of spring?  Er, yes to both of those.

This morning was definitely spring though.  The sun emerged just as we hit the woods and it seemed like there was an explosion of bird song to match. The grass had been completely flattened by the now more or less departed snow - it almost looked like it had been mowed - but it was certainly nice to have firm ground underfoot once more.

The large hills of snow which, last week, had us clambering over fences to get out and avoid sinking up to our knees,

 have been slowly disappearing over the last few days

and today were shadows, or blobs, of their former selves 

The day got better and better, warm sun, blue skies and then my neighbour phoned and said "Shall we take a turn round the woods?  And we did. And we kept pausing just to say "isn`t this wonderful", turning our faces to the sun while the dog scampered around unable to believe her luck........and the forecast is suggesting the weekend might be the same.......

Saturday 13. 02.2021

 Such changing fortunes with the weather. Blowing an impossible hooley out there just now. Very little extra snow since Thursday but what there is is swirling and drifting: chest high drifts in places, beautiful snow sculptures, completely impossible to keep clear while the wind blows, which it is set to continue doing for at least another day, so we are stuck! Or at least there will be no vehicles through.

So different to the two days before which were quite exquisite, frozen snow, not a breath of air, sunshine and blue skies.

A morning walk on Tuesday took us round the woods, past glittering expanses of untouched snow,

once more through Narnia.

Then back down the road (with visiting hound), glad to be back on (more or less) solid ground after the exertions of wading through drifts.

Which is why, the next morning, up before sunrise to see off visiting hound and her owner, the idea of wading through all that stuff again didn`t appeal. But it was too good a morning to waste. so as the sky slowly turned a peachy pink we kept walking, past the woods and staying on the road, watching as the sun slowly rose above the horizon. 

For a while, shaded from the rising sun, it was shapes and silhouettes 

but then we emerged into the full sun and marched our way home - such a pleasure to stride out on firm(ish) ground.  And everywhere you looked- just stunning.   

Then overnight the wind sprang up and the lying snow set about spinning and sculpting into impassable drifts and exotic shapes and swirls....and we are completely cut off.

Coffee and whisky supplies are plentiful, the wind continues to howl round the house like a banshee and it is only possible to marvel at the ferocity and be grateful for our fire, food and shelter.

Sunday 7.2.2021

 "Snow was falling, snow on snow, snow on snow". And so it has been, for the last few days. And cold. Not just snow cold but biting easterly winds hurling the stuff at us and drifting it up around gates and fences and trees.

This morning though there was no wind. The world had frozen overnight and was, literally, quite breathtaking.

Took twice as long as usual to walk round the woods on Saturday: as we turned off the road I sank straight into a drift and thought I might have to stay there until someone pulled me out but in the event was able to struggle free. 

Thankfully most of the paths were only shin or ankle deep so though progress was slow it was at least progress. On several occasions decided we wouldn`t try and go right round - it was hard work! Too tempting to go on though and we were rewarded by such a stunning display that it proved to be more than worth it. In the end all I could do as I plodded through through the snow, pausing for breath at regular intervals, was to marvel at the scenery and take far too many photos:

So many different ways for the snow to accumulate: the blobs clinging on to branches, 

and in some cases weighing down the trees and even breaking them.

Sometimes the snow appears to have been painted on,

elsewhere it has been caught on the gorse thorns or turned trees into dainty filigree curtains.

A familiar landscape is transformed into something strange and ghostly 

though with the odd random item recalling a different season.

We stumbled back onto the road, avoiding the big drift by the entrance this time, only to discover the wind had sprung up again and was covering the road where it was exposed. 

But at least when you have a black dog you can tell which way the wind`s blowing: 

Saturday 30.01.2021

 At last a respectable amount of snow in the last couple of days and just back from a crunchy walk in the woods, the temperature plummeting, the air tingling, completely still and silent.  Branches weighted down by the snow so we ducked and dived through the thickest parts, trees silhouetted against the darkening sky, water droplets freezing on grasses and trees, setting into
sparkling diamonds, and fence posts with little white mob caps,  Perfect winter walking and  enough light left at half five to get us down the road and home.

Monday 26.01.21

 If Friday`s walk was the first of the year that could just about be classified as an evening walk, then today we went for what was the first early morning one.

Up round the back field with both dogs in the mirk of a cloudy start to the day, low lying mist at the bottom of every hill. Cold but not bone-cracking  and it suddenly seemed like a good idea to get up the road. Old Dog deposited back indoors in the warm, Dog 2 and I set off at a trot - insofar as the icy patches allowed for trotting.

The sun was still below the horizon but throwing warning colours at the sky as we said good morning to the sheep in their muddy but frozen hard field,

 

revelling in the illusion of being the first ones up. Into the woods, thick jacket abandoned at the entrance, we crunched across the grass, Dog 2 delighted to find errant wildlife obviously not expecting anyone to be about yet.

The birds were also enjoying being up, first time this year I`ve really heard anything resembling a dawn chorus and their largely territorial-marking calls were a delight as well as confirmation, if we needed it, that the days are lengthening.

We hit the road again, turned for home, the sun having finally made an appearance, 

and waved again at the slightly wider-awake, slightly warmer sheep.     

                                                  

Shower, coffee...more coffee,,,all set for the day ahead. 👏👏👏

Saturday 21.01.2021

 So it was back to an afternoon walk, taking the new boots for their maiden tramp.......they will never look so pristine again.....

It was bright blue and white, a clear sky and ice, very very cold with a nippy wind snapping at the ears.  The sun shone valiantly but couldn`t make much impact on the temperature

It was all very bracing,  so with new boots moving along nicely we took a slightly different route, affording slightly different views to the usual.

 

Once we turned back into the woods we rejoined the well-worn path which led us home as the sun started to go down.

Later, we yomped slowly round the top field in the gloaming, old dog and younger dog, watching the lights appear across the hills and the flashing light of a tractor making its way up the back hill. Earth hard as iron, water like a stone, we made it back down to the fire and tea.