Through The Wardrobe
January 14, 2009 by Bird
Filed under Blog, Flora, On My Travels, Winter
Last week saw the temperatures in the south of England plummet, nights of -15 and days when the mercury didn’t ever get above freezing. I’m from up north where the winters are generally more savage, but even I was surprised by the intense cold – and the beauty it created.
Freezing fog decked the trees and hedgerows with glittering garlands of frost, and in the usually mild and kindly Hampshire landscape that I escaped to this weekend, I felt as if I had stumbled through the wardrobe and into Narnia.
The fields near R’s family home, pocketed in the land’s gentle swell were silent monochrome, their familiar far ridge obliterated by icy fog.
I had found nests of peacock caterpillars and watched drowsy flies dance on the Hogweed flowers in this lane last summer. Now the undergrowth had been frost bitten back to nothing. All except for the umbels of dead Hogweed which had been candied with a thick rime of frost.
It was so cold that I had to keep my camera in my jeans pocket, only removing it quickly to snatch a hasty photo. This picture of ice crystals on a bramble is the most in-focus closeup image I managed in two days.
The hedgerow trees stood ghostly in a sugared landscape, petrified and birdless.
In this gentle southern county of England conditions of such magnificent hostility may only come once in a lifetime, and despite a heavy cold I spent as much time out in it as was polite to my hosts. Walking at night was magical – the flanks of the hills glittering under a full moon when the fog shifted enough to reveal them. I have a single night walk photo that worked and a whole other set from a day walk to share over the next couple of days, these are just a taster. Come visit again!
Hey beautiful little bird,
These photos are stunning, I just stumbled this page and your site. These are incredible. I love them ALL, I especially love the Queenann’s Lace and the crystal branches and then the last two should be in a fairytale book. These like like something out of a movie and this would be the land of the Ice Maiden. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such beautiful photo of ice covered trees. I opened the page and just gasped; they are THAT gorgeous. You ought to consider selling them.
Many hugs,
Robin
Is Hogweed and Queen Ann’s Lace the same thing?? Or two different plants?
oh….you just had the same fantastic weather as we had in the southern part of the Netherlands. Cold nights, and often during daytime blue skies, sun and… a lots of snow.
I just love the winter when it is like that.
I made a few pics myself which I have uploaded to our blog. Like you we also did a day walk. Many pics taken of course but as usual we are running behind with our blog. I am still working on trips we made during summer. Ah well….one day we will be back on track so to speak. Keep up the nice pictures.
@Robin Easton:- Hey Robin, thanks for dropping by! And for the wonderful kind words, AND teaching me a lovely new common name for a beautiful plant. Queen Anne’s Lace is (according to Wikipedia) the American name for Wild Carrot, and a relative of Common Hogweed. I didn’t know of that name and it suits the plant so well I am grinning from ear to ear.
Common Hogweed is generally taller than Queen Anne’s lace and less delicate, and gets it’s name from the decidedly piggy smell it has in the summertime. The dead flower heads are tough and straw like and often remain in the hedges long after everything else has died back.
Anyway I seem to be burbling about Hogweed a lot when I could be coming over to you to pay a visit, so I’ll stop now. Thanks for the stumble too! xxx
@MJ:- I agree, I love a proper winter! We didn’t have much clear sky here, but it certainly was cold enough for me
I still have lots of photos to share, let’s hope we both get a chance to catch up and show what we’ve seen.
Hey did my comment disappear? Oh buggers
Bird, these pics are simply beautiful! I agree with Robin about trying to sell them—they’re just so amazing! How brave of you to venture out in what looks like dangerous conditions—I’m afraid that I’d be crying to stay in. I also like your description…”sugared landscape, petrified and birdless.” So where do all the poor tweets go? It’s a wonder they can live through such cold.
(
Excellent job!
Gorgeous!! Absolutely beautiful.
Billy and I keep checking the weather reports- snow is so rare here, that to get at least one yearly “fix” we have to be ready to head for the mountains at a moment’s notice! Sleety rain here will often be snow up in the hills, so we head a few hours North to find something worth playing in. Tonight is the first night of our “arctic” cold (night temps into the low teens F) so we are hoping for snow soon!
@Claire:- Yey Claire, well this comment didn’t disappear
Good to see you over at my place; here, have a brew. And a biscuit. Only chocolate digestives here.
But really, hope you didn’t lose a huge lengthy comment before, wouldn’t want anything to put you off commenting here…
@earthtoholly:- Hi Holly, I have no idea where the birds went, it was just as quiet during other walks I took. Either they all went to bed early and together to conserve heat and energy or they all moved into peoples gardens in the hope of scraps and warmth – R’s mum’s garden was full of them but then it always is. It really was very eerie. In open fields we saw a Kestrel, a Sparrowhawk and a flock of Fieldfares and that was pretty much it the whole weekend.
It wasn’t cold enough to be dangerous though – just cold enough to really, really notice it! I love icy, foggy weather, though as I get older I’m noticing the joints start to complain
@Kit:- I hope you get your snowy mountains this year Kit! The white stuff in these pictures isn’t snow though – it’s ice which has grown so thick in the foggy conditions that it looks like a scattering of snow. Your current temperatures sound similar to what is usual here for this time of year, this recent cold snap was most definitely freakish. But you call low teens Arctic? I’m guessing that for the rest of the year you have a much kinder climate than we do!
LOL- Yes here in the SouthEastern US, in sunny Georgia, we think ‘teens F is pretty arctic! But I realize that’s rather silly. Then again, in the summer we can be in a very humid 90s F (or even 100s F) for days on end, so it’s just a matter of choose your misery.
@Kit:- I’m pretty hopeless in heat like that so I choose my arctic misery gladly
Well the other comment was much longer, at least three more words. I blame the evil captcha…..
Just love the photographs, I cant wait to get rid of the flu so I can get out and about walking again! You must tell me next time your up near north wales
@Claire:- aha, the evil capcha, sadly necessary in these dark days of spam. Honestly, you didn’t try to post a link to some dodgy site did you?
Oh yes, I fully intend a trip to north Wales this year, we could have a falling over contest…
Now if only a person could experience landscapes like these while wearing short sleeves, splayed on a beach towel, sipping mai tais. But I suppose that a little suffering for one’s art and icy landscapes makes you appreciate it all the more!
I have NO idea what would happen if we got weather like this here in San Diego, though I suspect most of my garden would be gone…
@Lostlandscape:- James, the thought of cocktails sipped on a beach towel does sound quite alluring, though I think I’d rather it happened in your neighbourhood than mine. There are people over here who would and probably do try that kind of thing whatever the weather, the people that throw themselves into icy new year seas. Alas, like your garden I am not that strong!
These photographs are magical, mysterious, icy, and moody …. hmmmmmm I resemble that … lol Thanks so much for sharing them . They are wonderful.
@Timetheif:- Ooooh, hail and welcome Ice maiden
Thank you for dropping by! xxx
Only a link to men with big clocks……
Keep me posted on walking plans