"January brings the snow, makes our feet and fingers glow"

As I sit and write it has begun to snow again outside the window. I am snug and warm inside looking out over a scene which looks beautiful. The snow arrived on Friday, 18th January and by the afternoon, several airports, here in England, and the schools in areas were the snow was reaching 8-10cms in depth, closed.

3.30pm Saturday January 19th 2013 (Photo taken on our walk)   

However. for those who used public transport, (trains and buses) it was a difficult time. Driving became hazardous and in some places downright impossible.      

We went out for a walk on Saturday afternoon, in the cold icy air.Temperature below freezing. There  is always a magical transformation of the landscape after snow has fallen.
Everything looks so dazzlingly white.
Animal tracks can clearly be seen. I noticed where a fox had obviously followed the line of a fence by a grass verge. The brush of his tail making a mark    alongside his paw prints.
Our own cat is always mystified when, on opening the kitchen door for him to go outside into the back garden, he is confronted by the scene in front of him.He had several attempts to brave the elements, involving sitting by the half open door until I closed it, as it was letting all the heat outside.
Contrarily then he wanted me to open it again......once again turning back at the cold air.
I closed the door once more.
But, no, at the third time he quickly stepped out and found himself into snow up to his middle! He took the plunge thinking if he ran fast enough it would make a difference. But all his usual familiar pathways were invisible. This was quite comical to watch! He was hopping like a rabbit. After several minutes of re orientating himself, he made it to the top of the garden and off into next door's.
A plaintive miaowing by the patio window heralded his return.                          
Conversely, Doughnut, next door's cat, had tried to make his usual leap from the adjoining fence on  to our extension roof. He missed his footing, not being able to gauge the edge, and landed slightly on and slightly off his target. His back legs not reaching their mark.
I realised this had happened as there was a very loud yowling, and thinking he and Tiger were fighting I went to look.
All was quiet.
Then I saw the tell tale evidence of Doughnut's demise in the pawprints at the corner of the guttering just above the fence. Scramble marks.

Garden, Saturday January 18th 2013 

 I refilled the bird feeders on Friday, and there have been blue tits, great tits, greenfinches  a robin, blackbirds, starlings, redpolls, gold finches and sparrows. The red wings have arrived, a sure sign of increasingly colder weather. I was amused by a magpie perched on a branch, trying to peck at the coconut shell filled with fat and seeds, hanging on to another one of the apple tree. It was just that bit too far out of his reach. At each peck, it swung away from him, only to swing back again and hit him. He persevered for awhile before admitting defeat.
The great spotted woodpecker, however has mastered the art to perfection, only he uses his talons to cling on to the shell whilst he digs out the fat and seeds which are encased. A red flash of his rump, and the white and black of his plumage. I love to watch him.        

A local road at 3.45pm Saturday 18th January. ( Photo taken on our walk)

Later on in the evening we braved the neighbourhood pavements, now icy, to walk to our friend's home along with some others, for supper and board games. Our walk home about 10.45pm was along quiet roads, not much traffic, and the surfaces gleaming like glass. Snow muffles sounds.  

A little bit of January sunshine!

Timelord and I took advantage of the early sunshine yesterday to go for a walk. My attempts at a panoramic view were not entirely successful, (if you look very carefully!) but it does capture the crisp light of a beautiful morning. There have been so few this past months. It was not as cold as it has been lately, nor as wet. The birds are now beginning, tentatively, to practise their first new notes in readiness for spring. A long way off I know, but I saw my first crocus in flower, on a verge by the side of the path. We meandered along a lane, and eventually came to the farm shop and café, a sight which always gladdens my heart!                                                                                                          We both had a coffee and then set off once more, this time in a homeward direction.

Later on that same morning I went to sit and wait in the summerhouse at the top of the garden, along with my camera, in order to try and photo the redpolls on the feeder.
I did manage eventually, after sitting still for what seemed like an age, to take a picture of one of the goldfinches.
Today, I took one of my little redpolls. They are so dapper with their snazzy red caps. I love to  watch them all when they arrive.
But I could not be a wildlife photographer, as they must have to wait for hours and hours in one place before taking the shot they most prize! Stamina and  patience are required! I must be lazy, preferring to sit and watch them all as they come and go, as I drink a steaming mug of tea!

 A goldfinch on the nyjer seed  feeder

One of the redpolls.   

     

New Year's Day 2013.

The 1st of January 2013 greeted us here, at least, to a cloudless clear icy blue sky.And sunshine! Something I cannot resist! So, wrapping up warm, I decided to have my breakfast outside sitting at a patio table covered in ice patterns.

A first for me, like the day itself. Hubby was snuggly oblivious to all this, being in the Land of Nod....zzz

I so enjoyed the novelty of the sun, low down in the sky, as it's rays climbed and crept across the garden, melting the frost.  

The steaming mug of coffee left a ring where the ice had been. 

The previous evening having already spent 3 hours in the cinema earlier, to see the new Hobbit film, we decamped to another friend's house to await the old year disappearing.    

Breakfast on New Year's Day. 

 I had not had much sleep the night before, necessitating another visit to the doc's on the morning of New Year's Eve, (due to a continuing bout of sinusitus), so we left before midnight, like Cinderella, to drive home. But we were able to watch the fireworks all around the area, as they burst into the sky, and the sound resounded in the clear air. We were in the loft bedroom, which has a panoramic view over the gardens and rooftops. As we remained there for awhile, Chinese lanterns began to appear, floating one by one against the back drop of the stars. We counted 15 in total, a they drifted high up, from the west to the east.
So the New Year was ushered in for us.
Uncharted territory.                    

The Hobbit

As a passing reference to The Hobbit, we found it a bit too long. I have read the book twice, and also The Lord of The Rings, which caught my imagination in the early 1980's. I think you either like Tolkien or you can't understand what all the fuss is about!
The film itself is extremely good. A second being in the pipe-line.
There are 3 in the Lord of the Rings saga.
The epic journeys undertaken in the books are translated very well on to he cinema screen. Yet, as I have already remarked, the whole thing was very drawn out.
So, as I write, Tiger having insisted on sitting on my lap, and  now curled up asleep, the first day is now no longer fresh and new.
(Incidentally, typing on a laptop which is balanced on the arm of the settee, can be a bit tricky at times! Fur ball having taken the available space).
It is almost time for tea. We have spent a lot of time today out of doors, completing a walk this morning and another after lunch.
The cold fresh air is beneficial for me.
It creates a healthy appetite!
Now it needs satisfying............before the day closes.  
                  

2012! Officially wettest year on record for the UK !

Yes, it is official. After the first three months of 2012 were as dry as a bone and hosepipe bans being planned, the heavens opened and really cascaded down almost unrelentingly, punctuated with intermittent dry spells.

Now we are on the thresh-hold of 2013, and it is the time of year annual reviews begin to appear, in the newspapers and on television. Or, dare I say it........in a blog.      

28th June 10.30am. Storm approaching!

This blog chronicles my year such as it was, without the need for a review.
I enjoy looking back and seeing the first steps into 2012, when, until just lately, it has rained so much there has not been any kind of weather for gardening or longer walks. Nor even taking photographs.
These things could've been attempted, but I have never seen the attraction of getting thoroughly soaked undertaking an activity which is supposed to be enjoyable.
For me it is like seeing a jogger running in the sodden pathways of the park, or grimly pounding,the pavements on a grey miserable December day!
Why?
 December has felt damp, dark and dismal. Yes there were some lighter days, but few and far between.
So here I am, post Christmas, and pre New Year's Eve.

                       Supper with friends once again. Friday 28th December.

 One of the things I have very much enjoyed this year is the company of friends. It is something I resolved to do at the beginning of January, to make an effort to spend time forging links. We are no longer on Facebook in that virtual world. It is not for us, although I do recognise that it is important for others. This has meant keeping two calendars as well as my daily diary. The two calendars mean that hubby and I know what each other is doing! As well as doing things together we each have lots of other activities.      

 It was lovely to be welcomed by a hearth looking so festive and pretty with it's candles and lights.

 The food was excellent! And compliments given to the "chef", who described to us how she prepares a Polish Christmas on Christmas Eve, for her family. This is now also passed down to her daughter, who makes the traditional 12 dishes for her family.These dishes are to represent the 12 Apostles. Then Christmas gifts are exchanged. Christmas Eve being the more important date on the calendar.

A veritable feast!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_in_Poland

                                                     

 

                 The candles were set in jars decorated with lace and buttons. Very creative.
  
   So here I am on the verge of 2013, and already a visit to a friend an hour and a half's drive away will be undertaken by the two of us the first week of the New Year.
A treat to come!
And we will usher in the New Year tomorrow by several of us going to see "The Hobbit" at the cinema, then on to an evening at another's house. This is something we have not done during the past 6 years, finding New Year's Eve difficult since the death of our eldest son. But somehow this time, I can peep into the uncharted year to come with a sense of anticipation........
And included in this is the expected birth of our second grandchild in 6 weeks time. I am really loving being a granny to Samuel, now almost 15 months old and walking.
Being greeted by his big beaming smile and his arms outstretched for us to sweep him into, is a joy.


                                               Happy New Year!!             

Christmas Eve, 2012 Soggy, and extremely wet!

Tiger in one of his favourite places

I haven't written for awhile as we had visitors in mid December from Dallas and then I wasn't well.   Seasonal virus which affected quite a lot of folk apparently. I call these things by the initials " TALOIA" . Feel free to guess, and I will reveal the answer at the end! Assuming anyone reads this  blog!!   

However, I was able to make the annual  Christmas present "run" which involves a 2 hour drive to the North of England to my cousins' house. I stay for a couple of days and deliver various cards to old friends, and drop off our presents for my two cousins, and also my sister and family. My sister's in-laws live close by so when she and her hubby had driven over the Pennine Hills which is a journey for them of an hour and a half, she dropped her gifts off at my cousins. This saves me driving an extra 90 miles before I go home. 

Hubby's Christmas cake! 

Add to this mix my husband's brother and his wife, who also live on the eastern side of the Pennine chain. They came to see me and my two cousins whilst I was there, and we exchanged all our gifts!! 

Before I drive home, I always go to the Annual Christmas Concert given by the Rossendale Rotary Club, who support a different charity each year.  

This is the Rossendale Festival Choir. It is a great way to begin Christmas. Each year I always feel after staying in the Valley for a few days, where I was born and lived until I was married, that the festive season starts for me at that point. We used to take my dad, who was born and lived in the Valley until his death in 2010. (Being a widower for 20 years). I miss him.         

And now today as we prepare to spend Christmas with our family, Great Britain is waterlogged. Lots of people in low lying areas are flooded. Rivers have burst their banks. Railway lines have  been submerged.
It is now officially the wettest year on record!
Last winter was the driest on record!
Early in 2012 there was talk of drought conditions!!
Not any more, and there will be no White Christmas this year.

Snow in the Rossendale Valley. 1960's

So wishing everyone a Happy Christmas and a Peaceful New Year.  

     (And TALOIA, There's A Lot Of It About! )

Advent Sunday 2nd December.

" In Him was life and that life was the light of all mankind. 

The Light Shines in the darkness,

And the darkness has not overcome it"

John Chapter 1 verses 4 and 5. 

The Bible. NIV.  

Advent 1955 byJohn Betjeman

 

The Advent wind begins to stir With sea-like sounds in our Scotch fir, It's dark at breakfast, dark at tea, And in between we only see Clouds hurrying across the sky And rain-wet roads the wind blows dry And branches bending to the gale Against great skies all silver pale The world seems travelling into space, And travelling at a faster pace Than in the leisured summer weather When we and it sit out together, For now we feel the world spin round On some momentous journey bound - Journey to what? to whom? to where? The Advent bells call out 'Prepare, Your world is journeying to the birth Of God made Man for us on earth.'      Part of a poem by John Betjeman.

December 1st 2012

A glorious rainbow greeted the first day of December. It glowed across the dark sky. The roofs were still frosty after an extremely cold night.
We were driving to visit our son and his family after breakfast. A journey of around an hour and forty minutes by motorway.

In the afternoon we all went to the local Bristol Zoo, and watching our grandson as he looked at all the various animals, birds, fish and reptiles gave us a great deal of pleasure. There is something special about the innocence of a young child fascinated by all around him. We saw the seals being fed, and enjoyed the penguins in their pool and rock habitat. I guess the cold weather suited them!            

End of the afternoon, 4.15pm.
Time to go home.

The Christmas lights came on before we left for home, not before we went into the restaurant for mugs of hot chocolate. Mmmmmm.  

Just what you need after a stroll round the Zoo.

Only we substituted our steaming mugs of indulgence for the tea!

All to soon we were back on the motorway, now in darkness, but with a huge yellow moon
in the starlit sky, which seemed to follow us home. Now in view, now hidden behind buildings or peeping through black skeletons of the trees.