Saturday 6 December 2014

Wednesday Walking

Hello Lovelies,
this week I couldn't go out with the walking group...again. Life is a little too busy for that right now.
But on Wednesday I was still determined to get some exercise and spend a couple of hours outdoors.

There was a little frost, adding just a hint  of winter magic..... if you looked closely..........


The footpaths are feeling much more open again, now the trees are almost bare and the undergrowth has receded...........


Along the lane I wished I had thought to wear a peaked cap, to keep the low morning sun out of my eyes..............


Any remaining Oak leaves are brown and crispy............


No children playing this school morning....just sheep quietly grazing..........


As I pass by I notice their water trough has a little ice..............


I headed through the footpath gate ............


past the sweet Wendy house.........


and into the fields..........


the Robins were all fluffed up, like little balls, on this chilly morning..........


I headed downhill, still squinting into the sunlight...........


Bare tree shadows spread across the grass.............


and the bright pink of these Bramble leaves catches my eye............


it's so quiet here and I enjoy the solitude....just me and my shadow..........


Here the sun is on my left for a while.............


then I turn uphill and walk through deep shade, towards the sunshine again...........


At the top there is a huge upturned tree stump.  I presume this tree fell down and the rest of it has been removed........it does look odd............


My favourite thing about this spot is the view.....it's all hazy this morning........lovely.........


A little further on I pass this pretty cottage...........


and notice the dappled light under the trees............


the low sun is shining right into the church porch.....it's rays lighting up the whole of the heavy wooden door.......I don't expect this happens on many days of the year.............


Then I'm on the homeward leg....with the sun behind me I can notice the colours of the landscape and the bright blue sky.....


I climb more stiles as I walk through the rolling green fields.......


and look at horses grazing...........


Over another stile and along the track..........



As I climbed the hill I glanced back, bye horses.........




I think this is my favourite photo from this walk. I love the Autumn colours in the foreground and the way the zoomed shot has emphasised the contours of the landscape....rather than flattening them out, as  photographs usually do..............


I've been walking for 2 hours and I'm glad to be nearing home now, I walk down this shady track.............


past peaceful cattle...........


In the hedgerow I spot another Robin............


and higher in the Hawthorn tree there is a Blackbird...........



Then I  notice the silhouette of what I think is a starling.........


It's hungrily eating berries.............


I also took this photo of it and when I got home I realised it's not a Starling at all...........


I think it may be a Redwing....but I'm not sure.


A sunny day in December stands out among the grey and dark ones.....I'm so glad I had the opportunity to get outdoors and enjoy it.

There may be many cold months ahead.....but spring will come and mother nature is already preparing for it............


Today ( Saturday) it's much frostier and it really feels wintry outside.
Keep warm Lovelies.....or keep cool, depending on where you are :0)
Jacquie x

20 comments:

  1. Hello Jacquie
    I can practically feel the crisp cold of this morning walk from these beautiful photos ....but what a glorious morning and wonderful walk. There is so much to see and catch on camera ....I love it all!!! Makes me feel at home just for a few minutes!
    keep well
    Amanda x

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  2. What gorgeous photos! The pink bramble leaves, that fabulous church door, the blue skies, the colours of the landscape - so vivid. Your pictures of the birds are lovely, especially the silhouetted one eating a berry. Well done :)
    Cathy x

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  3. I really enjoyed your post today. Your photos are so beautiful. I especially loved your "keep cool" comment as it is supposed to be in the 70's here in South Texas :) We actually have the air conditioner running.

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  4. Such a delightful walk I had with you .... thank you so much. :)

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  5. I enjoyed this dry walk! Mine will be a wet one today, but sometimes I love to walk in the rain, it's very mild right now so it should be a good one. I always carry one of my crocheted visors (on Flickr) on my walks for when the sun shines, one can usually be found hanging out of my back pocket. lol I love that your walks are so open, mine is mostly closed in by huge trees, mainly just whatever wildlife trails I find or an old road that's slowly being re-claimed by nature. Have a great weekend! x

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  6. What a lovely walk Jacquie. So nice to see blue skies. We have had such a dismal week - grey, drizzle and miserable. But we had a frost this morning, and the sun is shining (although it seems to be mainly chignon on the dust in my house!!). Wishing you a happy weekend. x

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  7. Gorgeous photos, you live in such a lovely place for a walk. I enjoyed seeing the views from my armchair.

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  8. I really love clear, sunny december mornings! Everything looks so bright and somehow magical!

    Thanks for taking us on your walk!

    Take care
    Anne
    http://crochetbetweentwoworlds.blogspot.de

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  9. Thank you for sharing your lovely walk with us. It's been very winters here today with lots of frost but also lovely blue skies and some sunshine
    Enjoy the rest of the weekend
    Jackie x

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  10. How beautiful your walk was.. and I loved that shot of the horses watching as you walked away.. I think they wanted to go with you. Cute little Robins! Ours are way different here in Oregon, USA. My exercise is swimming.. but I think I need to do some winter country walks, too. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  11. I can't tell you what this means to me, living in
    a city in the USA and feeling homesick. Thanks so very much!

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  12. What a lovely walk, I love getting out on cold frosty days

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  13. It is a busy time of year isn't it, but I'm glad you managed a walk, the weather is too good to waste. It looks like a lovely spot again. I know what you mean about the sun reaching different places at this time of year. I was watching it going horizontally into a wood today as it set. So unusual to see all of the tree trunks lit up, and very pretty. I hope you enjoy the rest of the weekend. CJ xx

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  14. That was such a beautiful walk and I was glad to come along with you. There seem to be such beautiful walking paths close to you. Much better than the concrete sidewalks that abound here in the suburbs. I'm sitting by the fire on this rainy and cold Saturdaym wrapped in a blanket and knitting for a couple of hours. At least I got some exercise on my walk with you! :-)
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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  15. Another lovely post, thanks for sharing, it been grey and misty here all week but the sun came out today.
    Clare x

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  16. You can do such wonderful walks in the countryside and everything is sor pretty with a frosty decoration. I love the bird shots, especially the robins and the blackbird eating a berry! City life is practical for so many things, but I miss my life in the country!

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  17. What a lovely walk you went on and great photos

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  18. So beautiful, Jacquie. Thanks for posting! xx

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  19. Such wonderful photos! I love trying to take pictures of birds when I go walking, too, pretty tricky, but very satisfying when you manage to get a decent one! : )
    Wish you a lovely Sunday! xx

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  20. I love the photo of the little puffed up robin - and the colour of that bramble leaf is luminous! What a wonderful walk you had x Jane

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