Monday 28.11.2022

 Best of both worlds today and it felt like two worlds in some ways.

Had been going to settle down and diligently embark on Christmas lists and cards but it was such a glorious day it seemed a terrible waste of daylight - isn`t that what the long dark evenings are for?

So late morning off we set, the sun probably as high as it was going to get though still casting long shadows but actually surprisingly warm and intensifying some of the spectacular colours on display.

Warm in the woods, no breeze and the light chasing us in and out of the trees. 

We added a little extra loop to the walk, down the road a little and back up skirting the `Arwen` woods that I attempted to get through the other other day. Won`t necessarily do it every time but on a day like this it was irresistible.

Then, after an afternoon spent in front of the fire trying to start on those seasonal lists, the other world. The sun long down, up on our back hill, freezing cold still air, that waxing moon starting its passage across the eastern sky (it turned a beautiful orange just before it set later on), a few stars out and there it was again - that special magic.

Sunday 27/11/2022

 On Friday, it being this week a year ago that Storm Arwen hit, to inspect the woodland which was laid flat and most of which still lies brown and dead, a strange kind of memorial to an extraordinary event. By the time we got in there it was too dark to see if we could find our way through, too dark really for a decent picture but this demonstrates the problem...........

 

.....so we retraced our steps and emerged into an evening turned very cold. 

Just before we`d gone into the wood, several hundred geese - the most I think I`ve ever seen at one time -  had lifted up from a field in the distance and circled round and round, silhouetted against the horizon. By the time we came out they had disappeared, settled back in the field for the night perhaps, and the silence was deafening in the still atmosphere.

Today we set off a little earlier, about quarter to three, not long before the sun disappeared,

so most of the walk was done under a pale blue evening light

with the last of the sun tinging the clouds a soft pink.

More geese flying over as we turned for home though not in such huge numbers, a sliver of waxing moon briefly appearing over the horizon before sinking again and the first few stars. Winter magic.

Thursday 24.11.2022

 Two mornings in a row now we`ve gone out before lunch to avoid rain which duly arrives. Wet underfoot, quite muddy in places, the ground churned up by horse hooves though we haven`t seen the riders that use these woods for a while. The sky is busy, cold easterly wind making the gates sing, swirling the clouds round, shaking the trees and sending the last few  leaves twisting and spiralling to the ground. 

Back indoors feeling weather beaten but a bit smug as the wind gets stronger and the rain begins to hammer on the windows.

Enjoyable enough but with none of the magic of Tuesday`s walk when we set off later in the afternoon and ended up coming home in the gloaming: quite still, very cold and getting colder by the minute, the first stars appearing as well as lights in the distance. 

Just as we reached the road on the way back, two owls - possibly Tawny Owls? - shot out from the woods and swooped over our heads before flying away - presumably on their nocturnal hunt. Meanwhile a few geese, silhouetted against the last of the daylight, circled over an adjacent field looking for somewhere to rest for the night and a bevy of pheasants lifted up, squawking and cackling at us as we walked past. This and several flashes of lightning mysteriously lighting up a small layer of cloud over a nearby hill. No thunder, just lightning. Strange, a bit of winter mystique. Perfect for walking and for a minute was tempted to keep going.  But a warm fire and a cup of tea won in the end - well, it was properly dark by then.

Sunday 20.11.2022

 Monsooning on pause, wild winds subsided, skies clearing and temperature plummeting a late afternoon walk in the woods was magical as little patches of mist curled upwards from the grass or hung between trees. The very best of walking weather as the sharp air wakes the senses and has you throwing back the shoulders and stepping up the pace.

Yesterday, for a birthday, we headed away from the floods and driving rain towards the coast where miraculously there was a window of blue sky and even the occasional glint of sunshine. Nothing like a stroll along a windswept beach for enlivening the spirits...or a fish and chip lunch for satisfying the stomach (though not sure what that "salad" was all about.) 

Nevertheless, birthday duly marked. 👍 Back home it was still gloomy and dreich and we settled happily in front of the fire.  Today at least has been drier and brighter, the trees reflecting the gold of the sunset as we squelched over  thick beds of fallen leaves.

And as we came back down the road, the air really cold now, winter whispered it`s on the way.

 The smoke from our chimney suddenly seemed a very welcome sight.

Tuesday 1.11.2022

 Back on home territory, clocks back so out a little earlier in the afternoon and suddenly it really feels like autumn. Quite a strong breeze pushing against us up the road was a lot cooler than I`d expected though in the woods still felt relatively mild for the season. Big, bright, paint-washed skies, clouds swirling, the breeze setting the birch leaves shimmering in the late afternoon light and a nice thick blanket of leaves for shuffling through.

 

Favourite time of year, no doubt.