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!   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now it was time to move on to Sheffield Park.  Normally awash with colour throughout the year there was still plenty of contrast.  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 patch where visitors to the park could come to feed crusts of bread.

 

 

 

 

I mentioned the contrasts you could see.  Well, 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.

 

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

 

 

 

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!

It was really cold!

In order to blow the cobwebs my husband and I decided to visit Wakehurst Place which is not too far a drive from our house.  It was just a couple of days into the new year and the weather, though dry, was really cold!

One of the views we had promised ourselves was that of a huge tree near the main house which had been decorated with loads of light bulbs which were to be lit every afternoon just prior to the closing of the park.  We got there around 3.30pm to walk around a little whilst waiting for the lights to be switched on.  Boy, was it cold! It was OK at first as we were well wrapped up and the sun was still throwing its last rays on the house and surrounding areas.  Amazingly, there were still a number of visitors walking about looking like us, waiting for the lights to be switched on!  Here you can see a view of the front of the house from across a lake with about three quarters of an inch of ice.

Even the birds were finding it hard work.  At one stage we saw some seagulls fighting over some bread that had been cast on the ice only to be slithering all over the place!

Ducks and moorhens were trying to manoeuvre across the ice to reach the bread that visitors had thrown for them.  If you look closely here this moorhen has found a large crust!

All this was all very well but when were the lights going to be lit?

 

Here the sun was shining on this tree and creating a lovely pink colour accentuating the branches towards the top of the tree.

Finally!! The lights were switched on!  It was hard to photograph since the sky still held the last of the daylight.  Still, you could see vestiges of the moon to the upper right and judging by the clear blue sky with not a cloud in sight we were due for a very cold night.

Best to return to the car to put the heater on and whilst driving home we looked forward to a hot cup of tea and the remainders of the Christmas cake to warm us up!

Christmas lights

One of the things we love to do just before Christmas is to take a walk in our neighbourhood to 'inspect' all the Christmas lights that folk have put up on their houses, in the garden etc. We did notice that this year, possibly due to families with small children moving on or a change in circumstances, was that there appeared to be less lights around. A shame really as it always evokes some of the magical feeling of Christmas, doesn't it?

We have always been pretty conservative with our decorations, even when the kids were young. Here is a picture I took the other evening from across the street of our abode. The light on the side of the house is actually a street light and not part of the decorations!

The window to the left is my workroom.

We have a couple of small windows at the side of the house and always place a flickering light in them to make it more cosy looking.

I think you can just make out the Christmas tree in our front room which we placed in the bay of the window.

In case I don't have a chance again, I just want to wish you all a wonderful Christmas! Don't forget it will be a time to make that ultimate sacrifice of helping to eating all the food, including the chocolates! You know your assistance will be rewarded, somehow, somewhere!!!!!!

Christmas, a time to remember!

Christmastime is a time to cast your mind back to childhood memories that make Christmas for you today.

Some of my earlier childhood was spent in the Far East. Java, to be precise. My most vivid memories are of an enormous real Christmas tree that reached right up to the ceiling. Bearing in mind that houses were built with high ceilings for coolness in the heat of the day. As was the usual custom, we had servants. My poor mother did not know quite what hit her when we arrived in the western hemisphere and she had to do her own housework! We used to have a maid for the laundry and general cleaning, one acted as cook and there was a gardener along with a driver who took my Dad to his office and back every day. Life was good!

Anyway, my parents used to entertain a lot but I do remember that we used to celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve. This gave a magical sense to the whole event with all the candles and lights shining brightly. Loads of presents were placed under the tree including presents for each of the servants and their families. It was always the custom for them to come in and be given their presents before we sat down to our Christmas evening meal. And, guess what? I was allowed a little taste of red wine with lots of water added. Oh, how the colour would sparkle as I showed my wine glass to the candle light!

Christmas in Guernsey, Channel Islands which is where I spent the rest of my childhood, was very different. Here my parents decided latterly to celebrate on Christmas Day with lunch. The magical atmosphere did not seem to be prevalent then unless my earlier childhood memories were becoming clouded.

There was one custom which I remember from Java and Guernsey. This was the custom my canny Scots father instigated! That of saving Christmas wrapping paper! Since my parents were strong believers that the festival was a close family one only (and so, there were three of us since I was an only child!) it was easier to continue with the habit of saving the wrapping paper. We had an old brown beaten up leather suitcase which had seen far better days. Inside were carefully folded pieces of Christmas wrapping paper of all sizes and styles. Many tags as well which had all been written years before, Mummy, Daddy, Patricia. Since we always had a real tree the pine needles would find their way into the case and therefore the contents always had a wonderful pine smell about them. To this day, Christmas means pine trees in my mind's eye!

The first time I spent any time outside of the home and watched as people we had given presents opening up theirs was to be a hard lesson to be learnt. They all would rip off the paper! Didn't they think to carefully remove the sticky tape and then fold the paper in the creases that had been created so long ago? This is what we always did!!! To this day, I still feel guilty if I rip or tear the paper as I try to open the present carefully whether I save the paper or not!

Now it is my turn to recreate a family Christmas. We ,too, decided that Christmas dinner should be just for our family. However, with 4 children it was a lot noisier and more fun! For many years we had our routine of trying to sleep through the noise of the children waking early, excitedly opening up the presents in their sacks. My husband sometimes worked shift work during these years and so often he would not be home until early afternoon. I would allow a couple of the smaller presents to be opened with the main ones waiting for when we were all together before dishing up the meal. Evenings were always spent playing with the new found presents.

Today, the children and their respective partners have their own commitments in that they spend alternate Christmases with their various 'in laws'. Bucks Fizz (champagne and orange) is always the starting signal of Christmas morning whether my husband and I are on our own or not. Later others arrive and we go through the ritual opening of presents, the meal, the playing with presents before we all go home to our various homes.

One day, they will all have families and want to spend Christmas in their homes. I wonder what their childhood memories will be of their Christmases?