We see this kind of snow so rarely in the UK that everybody in blogland is feverishly snapping away. For days now the landscape has been breathtakingly beautiful; no matter that the country's infrastructure is buckling under the weight of snow and ice, that schools are closed, that industry and commerce are losing millions, that traffic on the roads, the railways and in the air has slithered and slid almost to a halt, that some rural shops are running out of provisions,
we are having fun!
9 a.m.
11 a.m.
2 p.m.
3 p.m.
sundown
New Year Snow
For three days we waited,
A bowl of dull quartz for sky.
at night the valley dreamed of snow,
lost Christmas angels with dark-white wings
flailing the hills. I dreamed a poem, perfect
As the first five-pointed flake
that melted at dawn:
A Janus time
to peer back at guttering dark days,
trajectories of the spent year.
And then snow fell.
Within an hour, a world immaculate
as January's new-hung page.
We breath the radiant air like men new-born.
The children rush before us.
As in a dream of snow
we track through crystal fields
to the green horizon
and the sun's reflected rose.
Frances Horovitz 1938-83
click on photos to enlarge
Me too, me too. I got snow too, finally, and pictures. Coming soon.
ReplyDeleteQMM
Beautiful!! No apologies needed! It looks as if you were taking photographs in my home and native land, Canada.
ReplyDeleteI love the snow. It brings not only beauty, but a palpable quiet as if it blankets extraneous noise and you feel protected and soothed by the silence.
How nice you are getting to experience this gift of mother nature. French Canadians love their winters and one of their sayings is "Mon pays c'est l'hiver".
"And then the snow fell..."
Was für ein Genuss am Abend, Deine stimmungsvollen Bilder von der schönen Seite des Winters und besonders das Horovitz Gedicht hat es mir angetan. Danke fürs Teilen.
ReplyDeleteIch habe heute auch ein Feines gefunden, das stelle ich mal hinten an. Du kennst es sicher, aber es passt so schön zur Stimmung ...
Erster Schnee
Fern, irgendwo im Himmelblau,
Ein sonderzartes Land.
Die Heiden weiß,
Besprossen lilaklare Primelblüten.
Blüten groß, offen erschlossen,
Augen, weite Augen, die an Tränen saugen,
Sanfte Augen, die ein Paradies behüten.
Mit weißen Fingern
Ein stilles Kind
Spielt mit den Primeln,
Lacht mit dem Wind.
Zaudernd auf schleichenden Zehen,
Über die Blüten,
Weiße Rudel
Von weißen Rehen.
Alles so licht und so eigen.
Einsam entblättert das Schweigen.
Max Dauthendey 1867 - 1918
einen heimelig warmen Abend für Dich
mit lieben Grüßen,
Isabella
Great pictures and a beautiful poem. My favourite shot is the combination of snowy tree and river.
ReplyDeleteYou snow looks prettier than our mere couple of inches.
ReplyDeleteI really want to capture the moment - ice crystals on snow like pavé diamonds. The camera's eye tries hard but can't get the sparkle. Love our black and white patchwork landscapes too.
ReplyDeleteLovely pictures. I got a day off school today out of the snow, although I did spend 8 hours of it marking and reading critical essays, so I guess that's called work.
ReplyDeleteHi friko
ReplyDeleteI can see why you want to get out into that landsape. It is almost fairytale in it's beauty. Doesn't snow transform ? And I agree with Bonnie about the subdued quality it blankets the world with. These are lovely shots as are your previous photos.
Happy snow days
aaaahhhh....one thing I do miss dearly are the early sundown's, providing a unique touch of the season.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for the much thinking you do provide. Please have you all a wonderful Friday.
Lovely peaceful views...
ReplyDeleteYour 3pm sunset made me check the map; you're much farther north than I! I can barely stand to lose the sun between 4:30 and 5:00! Tough folk, you northern Europeans!
friko these are so gorgeous thankyou so very much!!!! i couldn't pick a favourite if you asked me! steven
ReplyDeleteGlorious!
ReplyDeleteAloha, Friko
Comfort Spiral
No apologies required, Friko. Your images are beautiful and the words that you've chosen to accompany them make me yearn for a bit of that snow.....'as in a dream of snow.'
ReplyDeleteReally lovely photos Friko. Hoping some of it clears some time soon so we can have that 'meet up'.
ReplyDeleteA x
QMM - you sound like a kid, QMM; just like the rest of us. there is something magical about proper snow.
ReplyDeleteBonnie - ...my adopted country is rain and mist and grey skies, normally.
It is lovely to have this blanket of pure white, even if it means we can't get out of here. I'll probably start to complain any minute now.
veredit - das ist sehr lieb von dir, dass du mir gleich ein so schoenes Gedicht schenkst.
Martin H - thanks Martin; that particular combination is always good, summer and winter.
Argent - You probably find getting around in your couple of inches a lot easier than I do in my 6 inches.
mountainear - Me too; I often wish I had a better camera or I were a better photographer, rarely do i get a snap that does justice to its object.
Franh Hill - work indeed; and I thought you'd be out on your toboggan! Getting in everybody's way.
Delwyn -- thank you. I don't suppose there's a lot of the white stuff where you are.
robert - da werden sicherlich bei dir Gedanken an die Heimat wach.
June - oh, ever so, particularly when we are sitting in front of the fire, drinking sherry! It doesn't actually get dark at three p.m., we have a very long dusk, up until 4.30 at the moment.
steven - memories of home?
Cloudia - that's what I say about your warm and cloudless days!
Pondside - strange to hear a Canadian say that, when we think that Canada is covered in the stuff for eleven months of the year! Only kidding.
Wipso - can you get out? we still can't, I am scrabbling around for a farmer with a snow plough!
Beautiful pics! It is much to cold for us to wander out for pics! The kids are shooting through the windows! LOL
ReplyDeleteI do love your snow pictures; especially the second one with the creek still running.
ReplyDeleteAnd you never need to apologize for posting lovely photos like these.
I think this freaky snowy weather is all my fault Friko! You see I moved from a cold snowy northern area of the US down to a sunny southern area of the US...and well...my bad luck brought the snow with me...I just didn't think I would create a worldwide freeze...but if you are happy you can thank me later!!!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pictures and poem. I wandered over from NikonSniper.
ReplyDeleteLooking at your photos with envy – yes, quite. Our first snow since I don’t remember when, was almost gone by evening, but it is very cold. You also chose the perfect poem. I find poems but they usually are in French and they don’t translate well. I like the sundown picture – it looks cold – how cold was it?
ReplyDeleteAh, snow. Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteCould you please send some to me, here in San Francisco?
Hi Friko,
ReplyDeletePlease come by my blog and pick up your award.
Love,
Herrad
Such beautiful pictures! We are in a deep freeze of our own at the moment. Just a few weeks ago we recorded our first white Christmas EVER. I love the snow so I am enjoying all of you wonderful pictures. :)
ReplyDeleteHappy new year, Friko. I'll have to take your word for it that that's what snow looks like (sea salt isn't like snow, is it?)
ReplyDeleteFor some reason I thought that it snowed in the UK all the time, or at least in the winter. Doesn't all sorts of 'great literature' use it to create misery for the poor sots?
ReplyDeleteRegardless, I love the photos! Beautiful!
Hi Friko - funny thing about snow - everybody speaks to each other!!!
ReplyDeleteJ
We've heard tales from this side of the pond. We've had 100 cm of snow in 2 days and -20 temperatures, but this is 'normal' for us! Have fun with your photos and keep warm!
ReplyDeleteP.S. I own 5 shovels!!!! :-)
What a lovely poem and great snow pics, you can't have too many.
ReplyDeleteMissy - thanks for visiting. Keep warm.
ReplyDeleteDarlene - thanks for your kind comment; the creek is still running now but the snow lies a lot higher now.
Eve - thanks very much for now, but do stop wishing this snow on us. it was lovely for a while, but the novelty is wearing off. I shall come and haunt you if you don't.
Greg - thanks for calling.
Vagabonde - we have had plenty more snow since then; it wasn't terribly cold round here, maybe to below 10 at night, enough to make me shiver.
Amanda - yes please, do take some off us, you'd be ever so welcome.
Herrad - thanks Herrad, will do.
Shattered - first snow ever? I think everybody says they love snow until they get lots of it and it hampers daily life.
Prospero - show-off! no sea salt is nothing like snow, you can't make a ball of it and throw it at people either, can you.
swallowtail - we don't have snow like this very often, but it does make a lovely Dickensian story. Suffering in snow and ice is so much more picturesque in a story than in real life.
snailbeachshepherdess - if they can - we don't see many people at all, but those we meet all talk about the weather. So what's new?
Jenn Jilks - Rather you than me, but as I can see you are well equipped for all eventualities. Round here folks aren't and getting about is a nightmare. Perhaps we'll learn from this.
Cait O'Connor - thanks,Cait, we are all snapping away like mad.