I really meant to put up some of the photographs I took over our Christmas / New Year break today but, unexpectedly, it SNOWED here during the night on Sunday – a whole five millimetres I'd guess, easily enough to bring the entire county to a standstill – and Monday was a classic blue-skies freezing-cold winter day, so... What else was I going to do?
Although, actually, once I'd got over the novelty of the sugar coating on the pots and frozen water dishes in the back garden (sorry about that, thirsty birds, but the hammer just bounced off!), it was the brilliant raking light that kept me outside all afternoon. There is something exhilarating about the sensory contradiction between bright sunshine and temperatures hovering around 0° C. It's a sort of natural sauna effect that is probably deeply boring to those living in frostier latitudes, but down here on the south coast is a rare treat. I did keep all my clothes on, though.
6 comments:
I confess I’ve been staying indoors through this cold snap, although I did venture out to fill the bird baths with warm water. I probably spent half of my working life outside in all the extremes this country has to offer. Now I need very little excuse to stay put if the weather doesn’t suit. Your venturing out paid off with some nice shots though.
Martin,
I venture out every day, unless it's very wet indeed, partly to take photos, but also to keep my weight down, having lost ca. 12 kilos (26.5 lb) since retiring from 30+ years of sedentary office work...
BTW I meant to compliment you on your icy shots in your latest post, which I will now do!
Mike
I remember some advice you gave me a long time ago. Try not to think so much in terms of taking a photograph, as making a picture. It stuck.
Heh, excellent! My words of wisdom have not been uttered in vain... No "undetermined questions" around here!
Mike
I'm with Martin this winter. I too spent many years working outside, and still do when it's warmer. We've had a coupla dusters, even enough to scrap off the driveway. I may have exhausted my will for more snow pix. But you got some good ones, Mike.
Kent,
Yes, I can imagine that in places where snow is a regular event it must lose its charm quite quickly. A friend is currently in Bergen, Norway, where it's -11 C. Photos of snow are not worth losing fingers to frostbite...
Mike
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