Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Oh my goodness, it's so long since my last blog post!  The main reason for that is because I haven't been able to do any gardening since moving to the new house.  We had one half-decent weekend when I managed to cut the grass down with shears - the garden has been neglected for quite a long time so the grass was long and coarse.  Since then it's either been raining or snowing and the back garden, we've found, is a perpetual bog!  This is because of damaged underground pipes in the next-door-neighbour's garden - the pipes are linked to ours so our garden gets flooded as well as hers.  Unfortunately the neighbour, an elderly lady, spends most of the time down south with her sister, so we're waiting to see what she's going to do about the pipes.  Meanwhile, I'm considering just turning the whole of the back garden into a huge pond. :) 

I have to confess I've been a teeny weeny bit down in the dumps at not being able to get started with the garden, but I'm telling myself that it will be worth the wait.  Anyway, because I have no garden photos, I'm posting ones that I took while out walking today.  Part of my walk took place during a 'white-out' - a man stopped to offer me a lift.  I told him it was okay, that I was out for a walk to take some photographs and thanked him.  "Yer mad," he replied and sped off before I could come up with some witty retort, such as, "Madness is relative" or even accuse him of being mad for driving in such dangerous conditions.  Ah well, I enjoyed my walk nevertheless and if it hadn't been for me needing to go to the loo, I'd have stayed out longer.

Here's two lovely cows I met while walking along the old railway line.  They were sheltering in the corner of the field and were totally indifferent to the interest I showed in them.  One of them glanced round briefly at me, the other didn't move at all. :)

A road bridge going over the old railway line - it leads to a farm

Horses in the snow

You didn't know Narnia was in County Durham, did you!  It isn't really - this leads into the nature reserve at Oakenshaw.

 These reeds are growing in the lake, which is now frozen over, at the Oakenshaw nature reserve.  I love the contrast of the straw-like texture and golden-yellow of the reeds with the dark green conifers in the background.

It's dusk now and the light in the photos is changing.  This is the frozen lake with a little island in the middle.  There are usually lots of ducks here, but I think the cold must have taken them somewhere else where they might get more food..... I hope.

Having left the nature reserve and village of Oakenshaw behind, I am now approaching my home town of Willington.  These sheep made a peaceful and restfull scene, but when I approached them with my camera they jumped up and moved off.  I apologised for disturbing them.

I make my way along the farm track that takes me to the top of the pit bank.  I'm very fond of this particular spot - it looks scenic whatever the season.

At the top of the pit bank looking down on Willington

My walk was just over 4 miles and I was out for only a couple of hours but I enjoyed it so much, except for the bit when I couldn't find the exit at the nature reserve and got a bit disorientated...... it looked different all covered in snow.  I didn't much like the thought of me stumbling through the trees in the dark..... not with my imagination! 

Update on my NaNoWriMo novel - I didn't get it finished within the month, so I didn't get a winner's T-shirt (boo-hoo), but I've since finished it and now at work with the editing. It was a really fun experience, one that I would thoroughly recommend to everyone.

And now I would like to wish everyone a

HAPPY CHRISTMAS & A WONDERFUL NEW YEAR!

February pretending to be November

(image~ stock photo from web)

Well that's we Brits grumbling and moaning again! We thought we'd seen the last of the snow that was here for weeks but over the past couple of days it's come back and it's as cold as ever. Ah well, we wouldn't be true Brit if we didn't complain a little, especially about the weather. It didn't help that our central heating boiler began playing up, leaving us without heating and hot water. Ma little tootsies were numb and eyes a'bleary. But the heating firm was very good and came out and fixed it......... in the evening!

Looking out at the world today, it seems more like November than February. Everything is shrouded in mist and a covering of snow. There are jobs I could be doing in the garden such as tidy the potting shed but I don't want to disturb any hibernating creatures that may be in there.... it's not an excuse, honest. We had a hedgehog ambling about the garden late Autumn and he could be tucked up fast asleep amongst the plant pots and shredded paper. After my blunder last year with the family of frogs, I'm leaving well alone. And what about all the spiders and other wee beasties that shelter in the greenhouse and under branches and stones..... nope, the tidying up can wait until we're well into Spring. Everything should be wakening up then and I'll have an easy conscience.

Don't think I'm sitting around looking at gardening catalogues all day.... no, I'm still being kept busy feeding the waiting birds at regular intervals throughout the day and our Deppy's too, re-filling the birdbath, reading Stephen King, vacuuming, reading Stephen King, dusting, reading Stephen King, studying my Open University course (just in cast my tutor's looking in!)..... and reading the latest Stephen King novel that hubby bought me (I've either done something wonderful to deserve that or he's harbouring plans that need my approval. I'm not sure yet which it is).

Our Bob

Here's one boy who isn't complaining about the snow. This is our fifteen-year-old Bob. Just lately he's becoming a bit reluctant to go on his walks and he doesn't want to go far before returning home, but he's like a pup when it's snowing. He loves it! So he's a happy chappy just now.

...... a couple of cheering quotes:

"Every gardener knows that under the cloak of Winter lies a miracle ... a seed waiting to sprout, a bulb opening to the light, a bud straining to unfurl. And the anticipation nurtures our dream."
Barbara Winkler

"Surely as cometh the Winter, I know

There are Spring violets under the snow."

R.H. Newell

And now I'm off to read some Stephen King!

Narnia!

The Weatherpeople were absolutely correct in their prediction of heavy snow for the U.K. Actually I cheated with this photo.... it was taken in January when we had similar weather conditions. As I went for my camera a couple of days ago during the worst of the snowfall, our three dogs had plundered their way round the garden leaving lots of messy pawprints which would have spoilt the look! Hence the earlier photograph. :)

That's my outdoor gardening activities postponed for a while, along with the arrival of the two new coldframes I ordered because the company's courier can't get through the snow. Odd how the school bus managed though. lol According to the news reports, the U.K. is the laughing stock of countries such as Russia and Sweden because we have almost ground to a halt due to difficulty in coping with the snow. It seems that 'the powers that be' are becoming complacent with all the talk of rising temperatures and global warming. Ah well.... that's us Brits, a hopeless bunch of lovable clowns! :D

As far as the garden plants are concerned, the snow actually provides a protective layer and come Spring, the bulbs will be blooming regardless. It's a cheering thought.