The weather continues to be a bit weird. November is normally dark, wet and miserable. December is just as dark, but a bit less wet and miserable. Except this year. Walks in mid-November were taken in sunshine. December turned cold. Really cold. -7 degrees Celsius last Thursday at 8 A.M. And it snowed, which is unusual in this part of the country especially away from January/February.
 |
| This beauty in Richmond Park was about 7 inches across. |
 |
| 'White Lodge', Richmond Park, home of The Royal Ballet School. The building was originally a royal hunting lodge. Not bad for a little place in the country. |
 |
| Looking back the other way. |
 |
| Oh dear! |
Too hot for November
 |
| A week later and the weather is still pleasant. Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council now employ goats to 'manage' the plants on the cliffs. |
 |
| We were down on the south coast for the Margravina's birthday. For too brief a time. |
 |
| Mudeford Spit, viewed from Hengistbury Head. |
 |
| Christchurch across the harbour. |
 |
| A few weeks later, Richmond Park is looking distinctively different in the mist and frost. |
 |
| But it's still Autumn, or more correctly to Anglo-Saxons, Fall. Those dark shapes in the sky are leaves. We stopped to watch them fall. Every know and again, masses would flutter to the ground. |
 |
| This fellah seems to be disdainful of those puny animals on two legs. |
 |
| A day or two later it snowed. Olive looks beautiful in white. |
 |
| One of Olives relatives |
 |
| And another |
 |
| The youngest of the four. |
 |
| A couple of days of not being in the cabin, and this beautiful frost pattern formed on the north facing doors. |
 |
| This evening, when the temperature had soared to a whopping 8 degrees. Opposite New Malden Methodist Church. This reminds me of some of the pictures Alan (a.k.a. Tradgardmastare) has posted. |
No gaming since my defeat on Monday. But I'm hosting a remote game after Christmas. I have some ideas for a scenario, but I just need to crystallise them and reduce them to a playable game. More anon.
Have a great Christmas some lovely landscapes 👍
ReplyDeleteThanks Matt. You too!
DeleteBeautiful scenics. I have been buried in snow for more than a month and everything is frozen solid.
ReplyDeleteEven in defeat, the battle was fun, no? Looking forward to seeing what your after-Christmas game holds.
Yes indeed. Very enjoyable despite defeat.
DeleteIt would be great to see what the Northwest looks like covered in snow.
Chris
Great pictures ! I haven’t been out enjoyably for some days, to busy avoiding the black ice. Rain overnight and a dramatic rise in temperature has changed things hopefully.
ReplyDeleteAlan Tradgardland
Hope you can get out soon Alan. It’s poring with rain here now too.
DeleteChris
Some lovely photos there Chris. The weather has been weird here too, with incredibly mild weather (sitting out in the sun in November?) followed by very cold, with it getting down to -9.5C in Bristol and even the harbour had ice on it. On a walk recently in our local woods the leaves were falling so much that it sounded like rain! Lovely to just stop and take it all in.
ReplyDelete-9.5 is brrrr! I think you’re in a similar place to me on stopping and taking it all in Steve. Is it an age thing?
DeleteChris
I'm not sure Chris. Being a full-time parent carer means that sometimes I have the time just to stop and take it all in, which is lovely to be able to do and very restorative for the soul.
DeleteWe all seem to be getting unseasonal weather recently Chris - almost every day in November it rained, thunder and lightning two or three times per week, and most of December so far has not been much better, although the last three days were a bit more like what we expect here at this time of year .... 23C and sun!
ReplyDeleteHopefully it’ll become a good summer over there Keith.
DeleteOoh you do take some lovely photos mate. Been hell of a contrast in the weather over here too in the last few weeks. 15 degrees and sunny today. Barmy and balmy. Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteI just point my phone and squirt, and the scenery and technology does the rest.
DeleteJoyeux Noel á vous mon vieux et l’Actuelle Madame Broom.
Chris