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: