The ballad of water, ice and woodland.

Or: The almost January blog in February - Setting the tone for the year ahead (playing catchup already).

Welcome to the first blog of 2025, when I say first, I mean the first for us of course I am sure many others have already posted blogs but for us it’s the first. We hope you had a lovely break ate too much and in general just enjoyed your Christmas/Holiday time.

Do you even remember it or is it now just a distant memory in the rear-view mirror of life?

Did you all make New Year’s resolutions? (Show of hands please) Well very impressive and how many have now given up on those New Year’s resolutions? (Once again, a show of hands will suffice) Ah not quite so impressive, oh well there is always next year to try again.
Never say never that’s what I say.
​Actually, that’s not quite true I do say never quite a lot, for instance, never walk naked through a field of very tall stinging nettles. Never pick a fight with a wasp, not only very valid examples, I am sure you will agree but also good and free advice for you to keep and take away with you.

Never let it be said that we do not offer our readers anything for free.

Well after that sage advice back to the blog. Now I wasn’t going to originally put this out as a blog as it is another few hours out spent walking around our local park and river, however firstly it was a lovely day, 

(when I say lovely, I mean really cold, freezing, icy and why we went out I have no idea, we must be mad) 

a bit brisk, slightly chilly but lovely. Secondly, I think it is very important to show that, and I am making big assumptions here and only hope that you agree, nice images can be taken locally even if you don’t live in the most picturesque places (by that I mean we don’t have mountain backdrops or rolling hills, however we don’t generally have the most severe weather or flooding either). Thirdly, it gets you out in the fresh air and its fun trying to get a few pictures.

Did I mention it was cold? Well, it was also icy, probably not a full-blown hoar frost, but pretty good for where we live. An ideal time to take a few images before the ice melted and as it happened the rain came (no surprises there then, rain in Great Britain, hardly a spoiler alert).

Right from the start the ice transformed the mundane into something else, a winter wonderland worthy of a visit from the Ice Queen.

Did you like that last one? Did you get how I tried to mirror the large trees in the background with the saplings in the foreground? I mean how artsy is that, just give me a minute while I put on my dressing gown (I don’t have a smoking jacket, I don’t smoke) and reflect on just how lovey (Noel Coward kind of lovey) I am at this moment, it’s all just terribly terribly wonderful darlings. In case you didn’t notice, the very first image of the blog was treated similarly.
Ok that’s better the dressing gown is back on the hook on the bedroom door and it is just ordinary common old me again.

The grass was frozen, the leaves were frozen, the fungi was frozen, practically everything was frozen including me and the lovely missus and this time she didn’t even bring her camera. Never the less she was still enjoying the walk, with slightly warmer hands than mine I might add. Thus far we hadn’t even gone much of a distance, only just making our way to the bridge to the river.

Artistic version.

The small stream/river (When does a stream become a river or vice versa? Don’t even mention brook or creek. No, I said don’t mention brook or creek) that runs by the side of the bridge had never looked so mystical, so it seemed only fitting to do a mystical style edit on the second image above.

Even the trains and the tracks looked better than ever.

Of course, the sculptural bridge looked great too.

Artistic version.

Artistic version.

To our surprise, on the other side of the bridge several people were working away pruning, chopping and clearing. We spoke to a couple of them as we passed, quipping about the cold. One of the gentlemen replied that it was better than last week as they had all been soaked from the persistent rain. The amazing thing is, I am pretty sure that all of these people are volunteers, what stars they are keeping the areas tidy and usable for everybody else whatever the weather.

Images were everywhere in the more hidden details and the wider landscape. A song of ice and fire was from Game of Thrones but this was more a melodic ballad of water, ice and woodland. 

Artistic version.

Just as a side note there is also a short poem called Fire and Ice by Robert Frost (his last name nicely tying back in with the subject of the blog).

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

Copyright Credit: Robert Frost, "Fire and Ice" from New Hampshire. Copyright © 1923 by Robert Frost. 

Artistic version.

Our stroll through this alternate reality, where silence (you know the kind of all-encompassing silence that only comes when there is snow, fog or the freezing of the landscape) and sub-zero jewels that shimmered and sparkled reigned, brought us to the water’s edge (sorry I think the above poem took over my typing then). 

Then just not quick enough to focus properly, I half caught a winter dragon on its way, to allow the snake to take over for the beginning of the Chinese New Year which was shortly to arrive, at the time the photographs were taken.

Well, at least in my opinion that’s what it was so that’s what I am going with. I guess it could have been just a blurry clump of grass on the left-hand side but I really don’t think so, dragon wins it. 

Upside down.

Vintage vibes.

Artistic version.

We continued walking along the waterside enjoying the stillness but beginning to feel the cold more. We decided to turn back as we had had enough for today, however the camera wasn’t quite ready to be put away.

Finally capturing a few more images as we returned back home through the park. 

I hope that you enjoyed the images which make up this blog, do you remember at the beginning there was a spider’s web? Of course, this is nature at it’s best and really can’t, in my opinion be bettered, however it did get my brain whirling when I began to edit the images. This led me to do a bit of tinkering that you may or may not like I will leave the choice to you. There is one that is child friendly, one that probably isn’t (unless you like spiders) and finally one for the steampunk fans.

So that’s that blog over until the next one. As I said at the beginning it is another local walk, but let’s face it, that is what most of us have at our disposal more often than not so make the best of your own surroundings.

Everybody no matter where you live can do the same with your camera or your phone, whatever you have to hand. The pictures may be very different and have very different subjects, but being different is what it is all about, as long as you are happy that is all that really matters. Thanks for staying to the end, if you have, and see you next time round when time allows. Which, you all know me by now, could be practically anytime this year.

P.S.
                                   🦶🎵 It's a foot note, get it.

I realise that this blog has been slightly low on humour and Sci-Fi references so to remedy this here is a final joke:
Have you heard about the Disney virus?
It makes everything on your computer go Goofy.

Also, a Sci-Fi-esque recommendation: if you have Amazon watch The Devils Hour. There are two seasons now. The first season I watched when it first came out (which was brilliant) and I started on the second, however it is so complex that I started from season 1 again. I am glad I did as there are so many crossovers into season 2 that I didn’t even know about the first-time round, the whole thing is mind boggling so far. I hope the ending is as good as I haven’t got to the end yet.  
If you get the chance give it a go, but you will need to concentrate.

​Really this time toodle-oo, pip pip, cheerio, tara for now.