Tuesday 7 December 2010

Frost

The snow has gone but heavy frost is still spreading a covering of white over the garden. Some pedant on the radio has said that it's not yet officially winter. Tell that to the drip on the end of my nose! So many pots of plants that would normally be safe in my greenhouse are outside in this beautiful-looking, but cruel weather. I fear for their health. I had hoped that the new greenhouse would have been finished by now and that my precious 'Maricel Neil' tea rose and other old favourites would be tucked away from the rigours of snow and ice. 
The lavender shrubs are transformed.




Wrap up well, I'm going to take you on a walk, alongside the lake, into the woods and back across the fields.


I photographed this spot just a few weeks ago when it was full of vibrant colour. Now only the oak and beech leaves offer something other than black and white.


Not a fisherman, nor anyone else, for that matter, to be seen.
Himself tests the ice.




The leaves that came down with the first blast of cold are still trapped in drifts on the ice.






This very cold weather has come so early in the year that in the woods the ground is still carpeted with quite freshly coloured autumn leaves. Normally they have been reduced to a soggy mass by autumn rain long before the frost and snow arrives.


A shooting stand, for culling deer, at the edge of the wood.


This corner of the field was planted with sweet corn for the pheasants. Now that the crop is finished there is a green drum that releases seed for the birds.


My frozen fingers
in all the whitened landscape
fumble to record.



Garage Report.                   
                                                     
The garage doors are in place but all the building work has now stopped because of the extreme weather.
Janet of Gardener's Cottage thinks that it is looking like fairyland around here. At the weekend when the temperature lifted for a while a great arc of water spewed out of a burst pipe, now exposed to the elements in my no-longer greenhouse. Luckily, our friendly local plumber was prepared to come out on his day off and sort out the trouble. I'm sure that such things never happen in fairyland!

12 comments:

  1. i think it is beautiful and it does look like fairies live there. your photos are gorgeous and i was wondering if you would be interested in adopting me? i can cook and clean.

    ~janet

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  2. Amazing photographs - so beautiful. The frost and snow makes it look other-worldly.

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  3. Dear Janet, I keep telling you, COME! Someone who can cook and CLEAN - heaven!

    Dear Sensible, oh, but it's horribly cold!

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  4. Damn, Cher - will you please stop pipping me to the post with your blog photos!? I am going out tomorrow with my camera, but I am sure that I will not get any pictures better than yours. Oh well, keep warm. X

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  5. I've never seen anything like this "frost" as you call it, these crystal-like thorns on the edges of things. How does that happen? Our "frost" covers the entire surface of everything with white crystals. It's quite a wonder, fairies work for sure!

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  6. My gosh these are gorgeous images...you have a keen eye for detail and the composition of the photo's are perfection.
    Keep warm!

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  7. Be still my heart...I have never seen such a gloriously beautiful place on all this earth. It's almost unimaginable that you live amongst all this beauty everyday!
    Enjoy every minute of it and please continue to sweep us away in this fairytale ~ :)
    Sarah

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  8. An Urban Cottage - these long, spikey coatings of frost are caused by freezing fog, and we've had a fog now for about 4 days, so it's been building up. (hope you didn't mind me answering the question, Cher)

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  9. Dear Steve, Hostess and Sarah, Yes, it's beautiful, but oh, so horribly cold. And, Hostess, I am TRYING to keep warm!
    Dear Tom, I'm not hot on the technical bits, so it's over to you for this and all future knowledgeable responses.

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  10. My, but you do live in a beautiful part of the world. I thought we, in the Great White North had the corner on snowy scenes, but these are glorious!

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  11. Dear Jacqueline, But I expect that in your part of the world the weather does not reduce the country to the level of chaos that we are experiencing in Dear Old Blighty!

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  12. What an amazingly hard frost. These are gorgeous photos - it's like your very own Christmas edition of Country Living magazine.

    Thanks for your advice on our brassica netting. Unfortunately we've had no chance to get to the plot during the week, and this weekend looks as if it's no better, now that the pre-Christmas music treadmill has started in our house. Fingers crossed!

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