….with just a
hint of green and brown. We had our first snow of the winter overnight on
Monday and the drab and sodden landscape in my previous post has been
transformed. The low temperatures mean that this covering is still with us and is being gently augmented by the light
snow which has been falling all day in a desultory fashion.
However the
forecaster are warning that light snow will change to heavy snow overnight, so
DH and I are hunkering down to wait out whatever Nature decides to throw at us.
Oh, the joy of being retired and able to stay safely at home when the roads are
bad and travelling is difficult. If you aren't lucky enough to be able to do this, take care and stay safe.
From the shelter
and (comparative) warmth of the house, these were the views this morning on all
four sides of our Welsh home.
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| The view to the north (or rather north-west).... |
 |
| ....and to the south |
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| Shelter from the Wild Wood to the east..... |
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| and our beloved ash tree view to the west |
Hello Perpetua:
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful and magical the countryside looks around your house in these photographs. We are certainly aware, having read it on the internet, that the whole of Wales is, most likely, to receive very heavy falls of snow within the next twenty-four hours or so. Make sure that you too take care, and stay warm.
Here we have had some flurries today again but it is really too cold for anything very serious. Meanwhile outside of Budapest a normal winter is in progress.
Jane and Lance, I really love the magic that transforms the countryside when snow falls. I take silly numbers of photos of it, both on grey days like today which leach all colour from the world and on the brilliantly sunny days we sometimes get after snow.
DeleteThankfully we are outside the red alert warning area which is further south, but we're still on an amber warning and aren't planning to go anywhere at all until the roads are clear. As for keeping warm, we do our best, but this elongated stone house, in which every room has at least two outside walls, isn't the easiest to heat when it's really cold outside. We wear a LOT of layers in winter. :-)
Looks lovely but so glad I'm not still there working and having to drive (or slide) to work.
ReplyDeleteOh, so am I, BtoB. After over 20 years of sliding down the hill to the village and sometimes failing to make it back up again in the evening, it feels so good to know I don't have to go out unless I want to. :-)
DeleteI love your photos. I must admit when it's snowy I also take far too many. Take care and keep warm.
ReplyDeletePatricia x
Thanks, Patricia. I know you're hoping for some snow too and with luck you'll get some tomorrow, as the snow is forecast to be widespread and prolonged. I look forward to your pictures if it reaches you.
DeleteHunker, hunker - that's my advice!! And layer, definitely layer!! How lovely to be able to watch it all from the windows. I know you'll enjoy it, but do hope it doesn't outstay its welcome. Hunkering is good, but being cut off is not so.
ReplyDeleteI guess the soups are lining up to be cooked and eaten... Axxx
Thanks, Annie. DH and I are past masters at hunkering and layering after almost 40 years on our often chilly Welsh hillside. :-) We're also very philosophical nowadays about being cut off and rather enjoy the feeling of isolation and hiddenness it gives us. As for the soups....how did you guess?
DeleteDear Perpetua - my wish has been granted and the large snow flakes have just begun to fall from the sky over here. We are in an amber zone too, so we have been to the shops and stocked up with lots of potatoes and root vegetables, celery and leeks etc to make big pots of soup. You would think that a siege was in progress at the shop so many items were already sold out.
ReplyDeleteRosemary, I'm so glad your wish has come true and expect to see some stunning photos on your blog very soon. DH and I stocked up on Monday when we went into town to collect the car and are well prepared. I hope we get some lovely big flakes tomorrow as today's snow was persistent but very fine. There is something very special about huge, fluffy snowflakes whirling past the window....
DeleteLove your photos... especially the last one. I could see a book with that photo as the cover. As for going out in the cold, I too love being retired and knowing that I can stay home cozy and warm on dreary cold days.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you liked the photos, Rian. You're new to my blog, so this is probably the first time you've seen a photo of our precious ash tree, but there are quite a few scattered through my past posts. It is directly outside the bathroom window and I photograph it very regularly. Isn't it lovely just to stay at home when the weather is bad? One of the great rewards for a lifetime's work....
DeleteAs usual, you've kept the best till last. That final picture is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, my love of snow depends entirely on photographs. preferably other peoples'.
Keep warm!
Thanks, Ray. You know how much I love that tree and how spectacular it looks at all times of the year. That said, I think my favourite photos of it are in the snow, with every branch and sometimes twig outlined in white.
DeleteI have a feeling that your vicarious love of snow will be well indulged over the next few days. :-)
I'm so jealous ... here we are fighting raging fires and sweltering in 40 deg heat! Thanks for you tip on my blog earlier this week. I'll have another try at it. Sue
ReplyDeleteOh sorry, Maa - it must be so frustrating to have others blogging about cold and snow when you're enduing a record-breaking heatwave and seeing your countryside swept by wildfires. I do hope you get some respite soon.
DeleteGood luck with the blogging problems. if you think I can help at all, my email address in in my profile.
Beautiful photographs...especially of the ash tree.
ReplyDeleteI remember all too well the years of having to go to school and work in foul weather...and the relief of being able to look at the beauty of it through the window of a warm house - though the Turkish socks and layers were indispensable if it was a long cold snap.
Sliding down and heaving back up twice a day to see to the chickens was quite enough activity....greeted by malevolent looks from them, huddled in their pen among bales of straw.
Thanks, Fly. I don't think I've ever taken a bad photo of the ash tree. It's so distinctive and the view beyond is lovely, when we can see it. At present it's obscured by driving snow.....
DeleteThe sheer relief of not having to go out in weather like this is wonderful. Our steep hill down to the village makes driving in snow and ice difficult and stressful and blighted my working days in winter more than a little. I well remember our hens disapproving mightily of all the white stuff. :-)
The sight of snow in nature always thrills me..these are beautiful photos, Perpetua. Happy snuggling and making soup, sounds perfect. It is interesting that where my daughter lives, Ottawa, the snow is deep all around for months at a time, and they seem to carry on as normal. Even in -15c. she puts her baby and toddler in snowsuits and goes out, pushing the stroller to playgroup or the shops!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Patricia. Snow won't be something that disturbs your days, but it's always so beautiful to look at. Once it's stopped falling and blowing around I'll be out with my camera again.
DeleteI think the UK doesn't cope well with snow because we actually don't get much of it most years and none at all quite often. So we aren't properly equipped when we do get the occasional heavy fall. In countries like Canada with real winters every year, people have snow tyres on their cars and proper cold weather clothing, so life can carry on as normal once the snow stops falling. Here it all grinds to a halt with much less snow than Ottowa gets......
Isn't it amazing how still and quiet the world can seem after a fresh snowfall? It looks so pure, Perpetua, and you and DH thankfully safe and snug. I love the photo of your ash tree, all covered in snow with the countryside beyond.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, Penny. The silence can be profound and everything looks so different and beautiful. Once the snow stops falling and blowing around I'll wrap up and go out to explore. At the moment the lying snow is still being scoured by the wind and I know how that feels when it hits my face.
DeleteIf you want some lovely photos of our ash tree in winter, you'll find them in this post:
http://perpetually-in-transit.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/tree-for-all-seasons.html
We haven't had snow here yet but it is very cold. I do like how calm and quiet the world seems after snow. It sort of muffles everything even the air.
ReplyDeleteI gather France has been very cold, Kerry, so I imagine you'll get some snow of your own before long. Here the temperature is dropping and this snow is likely to be around for a while, so I'll have plenty of opportunity to enjoy the transformation it brings.
DeleteLovely photos of snow viewed from the warmth of summer.
ReplyDeleteThe very best way to see it for many people, Susan. :-) Enjoy your summer.
DeleteGlad to hear you are all set to withstand whatever onslaught the lovely stuff has to offer you. As I type flakes have begun to fall in Southport -- as you probably know a rare occurance! Yesterday the grocery stores were packed with people stocking up. As the old song goes: 'Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!'
ReplyDeleteGosh, Southport has snow, Broad! Our nephew and niece who grew up there used to bemoan the fact that they hardly ever saw any, even when the rest of the country was blanketed. Our snow is easing off now, just at the Met Office forecast, but is still blowing around hard. But we have food and a bread machine and milk in the freezer, so we can sit it out. :-)
DeleteSnow is very photogenic isn't it? We had a few flakes on Wednesday but it didn't rest. It's turned pretty cold though, so perfect weather for hearty root veg soup.
ReplyDeleteI love winter!
So do I, Sarah. in fact I love all the seasons in their turn. I'd heard from a friend that the south of France is very cold at the moment, so I hope you have the makings of soup too. If it stays cold, I expect your next flakes of snow will stick around for a bit.
DeleteIt's falling thick and fast now in North Wales so I imagine you have had plenty (too much?) overnight. Me, I love the stuff, but I know not everybody does. I shall be off out to play in it soon :D
ReplyDeleteIt's never too much for us nowadays, Annie, though I know many people don't feel that way. I'm not sure how much more we've had, but I'd guess at least 4 or 5 inches on top of what was already there. It's all been very fine flakes - proper drifting snow, the kind summed up in the Welsh saying I was taught when we first moved here: "Eira man, eira mawr" "Fine snow, big snow." Enjoy your snowballs!
DeleteWe're snowed in here - I'm sure you must be as well! Very pretty - but I had 2 appointments today, one in Welshpool and one in LLani, and have had to cancel both!! In the old days (when we were younger) I wouldn't have thought twice about going out in this sort of stuff, and have done so in days long gone, but not now! No-one's been out in our road so far, and the BH is walking down to get the papers and odds and ends from the village shop - he's got boots on today (sailing wellies!), so may not have another fall (hopefully!) Love your photos - are you getting more with this added covering? It's blowing around quite well - could be some nasty drifts, too. But I do love the look of it - and judging by the prints on the lawn, the dogs had a great time in it earlier on! It looks like great snowballing stuff - sticking together well - wish I was young and fit enough to get out in it :(
ReplyDeleteI'm sure we are too, Helva, but I haven't yet been out to verify this. Sorry you've had to cancel your appointments. I though you would probably have to, once I saw the forecast on Wednesday. I've never been keen on driving in poor conditions, probably because of our nearly two miles of steep, single-track road, so I never went out unless absolutely necessary and would dread the return journey, when we quite often couldn't get all the way back up the hill again. Those were the days!
DeleteI'll be out with the camera again when the snow stops blowing the snow around quite so hard. I can't take photos from inside the house this time, as almost all the windows are at least partially coated with snow! I imagine our lane up to the council road is filling up quite nicely....... :-)
I also find this being able to please yourself, one of the best joys of retirement. We have gale force winds and torrential rain today, so I am staying in bed...just because I can!
ReplyDeleteLovely photos Perpetua x
Thanks, Ayak. I don't envy you your gales and torrential rain. Personally I prefer snow, especially after all the rain last year. The snow has just about stopped here and the wind is easing off, so I'm about to wrap up very well and venture out to see what's it all looks like. I may be some time.....:-)
DeleteThe Ash tree is beautiful, but I love the photo of the " wild wood". I can almost hear the squeals of excitement if i offered to take the grandsons to a wild wood, what adventures could be had.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on the hunkering, it is wonderful not to have to go anywhere, and know that the house is full of good things to eat, and staying warm is straight forward. Enjoy it, I intend to do the same. Jx
I'm glad you like our Wild Wood, Janice, though the grandchildren would need protective clothing nowadays as it's rather overgrown and neglected (spending the summer in France doesn't help here....) If you're interested, in the early days of my blog I wrote a post about how it came to be:
Deletehttp://perpetually-in-transit.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/wild-wood.html
I ventured out earlier this afternoon just to check on the state of our lane (blocked, but not very badly) but was inside again within 10 minutes as the wind is truly icy. Brrr! I'm staying put now.
Someday I'd like to spend the winter someplace where the precipitation falls as snow. In Washington State, where I live, we get a couple of snowfalls a year, but it melts quickly. I think I could do with a little more sustained whiteness.
ReplyDeleteLinda, we've had more and longer-lasting snow in the UK in the last 4 or 5 years than for the previous 15 or more when we had virtually none. In Europe if you want to be sure to have whiteness that lasts you need to head north to Scandinavia or east into Central Europe or up into the Alps or other high mountains. Having said that, it looks like this fall of snow will be around for a little while....
DeleteLovely photos! And my favourite ash tree is represented too :-) Yes I'm hearing the snow reports on the radio. Glad you have the choice to stay indoors in the relative warmth. Old stone houses can be draughty and difficult to heat can't they. I can keep rooms warm but the hallway is always chilly when the wind is directly upon it.... means I make a hasty journey between rooms. And I don't even attempt to heat the conservatory!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sian. You can always be sure that I'll sneak in a photo of our ash tree if I possibly can. :-) The snow is pretty bad in some places and we have several inches here, but it could have been much worse. However the forecast is for days of sub-zero temperatures, so neither the snow nor we will be going anywhere for a few days yet. We're used to the fact that this is a difficult house to heat and, as DH always says, we lag our legs in winter and everything else. :-)
DeleteLovely photos, Perpetua! Your snow is more accommodating than ours proved to be when it arrived this morning. My few attempts at photos were scuppered by the hear-blizzard conditions, and anything more than a few inches away was lost in the gloom and flurries. Hopefully there'll be some chances tomorrow to get out and about with a camera. Unlike you and your lovely tree, I have nothing especially photogenic just outside the window.
ReplyDeleteThanks, CB. We're lucky to live somewhere with a view in every direction, but I bet you can find lots of examples of the transformative power of snow in Nowhere-on-Thames too. From the TV news at lunch-time it looked like the south-east was getting a lot of snow quite quickly, with much bigger flakes too. I'm afraid the gloom is still here, even though the snow has stopped, and the forecast isn't showing any break in the cloud cover in the next few days. Sigh...
DeleteSuch lovely photos. Stay warm and safe, and enjoy the natural beauty
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed them, Catriona. I couldn't take any from inside today as most of the windows are coated with blown snow. :-) But I did venture out for a few minutes this afternoon, before the icy wind drove me in again. Brr!!
DeletePlenty of snow here in the Czech Republic Perpetua. It started snowing seriously here late last Sunday evening when I was staying in Brno overnight after our monthly service there, in order to meet up with someone the next day. So as in December, I drove back to Prague through a snow storm. But at least it was in daylight & ironically, the only place I had any real trouble was trying to drive up the steep hill in Podbaba back to the Chaplaincy flat in Prague.
ReplyDeleteAs with other commenters, I love your photos of your view in four directions.
So the snow has arrived properly in Prague now, Ricky. I'm glad you didn't have to drive home at night in a snowstorm again. Yes, it's the steep hills that catch us all out every time. DD lives in the Vale of York and can always get around, even in very snowy weather, whereas with our lane up to the council road and the road then dropping steeply to the village, DH and I can have problems with much less snow.
DeleteI'm glad you liked the photos. We're lucky to be able to look out four ways from our odd L-shaped house.