Sunday 11 January 2009

Jack Frost and his grip!

As many of you know from my precious posts, my husband and I love to go for walks in National Trust properties.  Our favourite is Sheffield Park where we have spent many a delightful hour strolling around at different times of the year to view the plant life, birds and lakes in all their glory.  Each season is different and each visit within that season shows up another treasure.

This weekend Jack Frost was paying many of us a visit but as the freezing fog lifted we were able to see the branches of the trees outlined with white crystal ice.  The picture was beautiful!  Unlike when snow nestles in the crooks and crannies of branches the ice gave a very surreal and delicate look.  This was first seen as we drove through Ashdown Forest which was originally a deer hunting forest in Norman times!  It is a great place for walking and enjoying spectacular views over the Sussex countryside and is known the world over as the 'home' of Winnie the Pooh.

So, we stopped the car to park up so that yours truly could take a couple of photos such as these:  Although they were taken in colour they give the impression of black and white.... well nearly!  ashdown contrast winter branches covered with ice

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This has to be one of my favourites to illustrate how the branches of the trees were caught up in the ice age.  Banks of trees laden with ice whilst the close up picture shows how delicately the branches appeared.

Iced tree ashdown

 


 

 

 

 

 

Now it was time to move on to Sheffield Park.  Normally awash with colour throughout the year there was still plenty of contrast.wintry look down to the lakes with icy  Here we look down the series of ponds to the main lake.  The main difference between here and Ashdown was that the ice on the trees had mostly melted.  However, the water in all the lakes in the park remained iced over with different amounts of ice.

The swans and ducks were restricted in their feeding areas to a small patchalternate view of swans and ducks feeding where visitors to the park could come to feed crusts of bread.

 

 

 

 

I mentioned the contrasts you could see.  palmtrees in icebound lakeWell, have a look at these palm trees standing frozen by the lake.  Normally seen in desert this certainly proved a different type of desert; one of ice!  

 

Meanwhile I couldn't resist taking this photograph of icicles formed at the edge of a weir that fed the lakes.

icicles by side of weir

 

Here is another view of a waterfall that has been stopped in its tracks! waterfall of icileles

 

 

 

And so, having taken loads of photographs and walked around taking in all the beautiful sights we decided we would welcome the car ride home and that all important hot cup of tea!

5 comments:

Kim Caro said...

the ice looks nice on green

Matt said...

Wow, great frosty photos! Neither snow nor "attractive" frost yet here (Channel Islands), just really cold wind!

PersimonDreams said...

Wow! What amazing pictures. Our orchard looks like that too, but not as cool becuase there are all these nasty looking apples and leaves still on the trees...not so pretty to photograph close up...

maryeb said...

LOL, I posted some wintery pics too. 'Tis the season.
Yours' are spectacular.

Anonymous said...

Just love your photos of the winter. Sometimes we overlook how beautiful the winter can be because of the bitter cold and snow but it can be just as beautiful as the spring and summer. :-)

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