Therefore all seasons shall be sweet to thee,
Whether summer clothe the general earth
With greeness, or the redbreast sit and sing
Betwixt the tufts of snow on the bare branch
Of mossy apple-tree, while the nigh thatch
Smokes in the sun-thaw; whether the eave-drops fall
Heard only in the trances of the blast,
Or if the secret ministry of frost
Shall hang them up in silent icicles,
Quietly shining to the quiet Moon.



Friday, November 26, 2010

A Morning Walk


Just a short post to get me back into the swing of blogging again. I've been really busy catching up on a huge pile of letters, doing some Christmas baking for the freezer, trying to make a bit of impact on the disaster that is my garden and a good many other items from my  'to do' list. I'm back on track again and will hopefully be putting in more regular appearances from now on. These photos are from a walk on Blackamoor on Wednesday morning, there had been quite a hard frost which  B Baggins loves, it seems to give him an extra injection of energy. I know how he feels, I love bright,frosty mornings.



There are still little splashes of colour here and there from various berries, these rosehips looked lovely in the sunlight.


A moss covered dry stone wall - always a favourite of mine, they seem so atmospheric somehow.


Even in late November there are flowers to be found, this is the flower of the ivy which appears between September and November and provides a valuable source of nectar for bees, butterflies and insects late in the year. Each little flower will become a black berry and will provide another source of food for birds all through the cold winter months.


The Blacka Dyke tumbling downthrough the woodland to join up eventually with Old Hay Brook and then on to become part of the River Sheaf which is one of Sheffield's five major rivers.


Another bit of stone wall with frosted moss, dead leaves and bracken. These have their own quiet beauty.


The moon setting in the western sky above the beautiful autumn colours of the moors.


The frost accentuates every detail of the bracken fronds and leaves especially the thistle which looks really beautiful. Winter brings out a beauty in some things which isn't as obvious in the summer.


More frost rimed leaves, I must admit that I never tire of looking at the work of Jack Frost:) It's now late on Friday afternoon and B Baggins and I have just come back from walking up on Blackamoor with my friend J and her dog Martha. We've been higher up than the area where these photos were taken and everywhere was white with frost and the boggy pools of water were frozen hard even in mid-afternoon. I banged one of them hard with my hazel staff and it didn't even crack! No staying in where it's warm for me tonight though, DH and I are off to see 'Improbable Fiction' the latest offering from our local amateur dramatic society.

19 comments:

Kath said...

Wonderful to see you back again! :)

Anonymous said...

Wow!!!! That's all I was thinking to myself while I was reading your post. Between your descriptions and your amazing photography, I felt like I was there too! Beautiful post Rowan!
Have a great weekend
Rosemary...

George said...

It was nice to join you and B Baggins on this morning walk, Rowan. Lovely photos.

WOL said...

Thanks for the lovely walk. Nice to see the handsome Mr. Baggins featured in your masthead photo.

Anonymous said...

This is a very representative post of the moment Rowan. I love the moon shot and the dry stone wall. There is something really interesting about old walls, they just seem a natural part of the countryside.

PS. BB is looking a bit grey around the muzzle, but don't tell him I said so.{:)

Von said...

Beautiful, I can smell it!

JoAnn ( Scene Through My Eyes) said...

Lovely walk in the frost - glad you are back!!

Hildred said...

Beautiful photos, - I did enjoy the walk and your lovely comments.

Thimbleanna said...

Ahhh, it sounds like winter has found you! It's finally cold here -- just at freezing today. It's so beautiful where you are -- I love all the mossy walls!

Unknown said...

Good morning, Rowan. Your walk pictures are lovely. You are right about the frost picking out detail. Snow does a similar favour for trees and we are certainly in an even whiter world today, which is a concern as we have to travel! As for your comment over at my place tday, YES you are correct. Well remembered!

Diane said...

Great to have you back Rowan - Ive missed you. You provide me with inspiration for walks on your side of town. Ive only recently discovered Black Moor (and its fabulous history) and Ive yet to do a full walk on here, but ive got it planned for Christmas week. xxx

Bovey Belle said...

Glad to see you back Rowan. What a lovely walk you had and what splendid photos. We have snow!

Janet said...

Beautiful photos, as always! I'd love to have such a wonderful place for a walk.

It's good to see you posting again. I thoroughly understand about not getting to your blog because of "life"....it happens to all of us from time to time.

Rosie said...

What a wonderful walk! I love bright frosty mornings too! Hope you enjoyed the theatre:)

Medieval Muse said...

How beautiful!!!! Love your canine accomplice and his name:) And oh, the moss and frost are perfection.

FireLight said...

You have done it again...these are certainly my kind of images. What are those particular brown ferns on the huge rock? They add so much to your "Study in Frost."

Pamela Terry and Edward said...

Edward and I have been doing more than our usual share of walking over the Thanksgiving holiday. It's so cold here... Edward's, and my own, favourite sort of weather! Love to you, and B Baggins.

Morning's Minion said...

Like those who commented earlier, I'm pleased that you are sharing words and photos again.

Rebecca said...

Lovely photos of a lovely walk and BB is cute x