Tuesday, January 05, 2021

A Wintry Walk

 On Sunday afternoon we went for a walk across nearby Berryhill Fields.  We can walk here from home which is always a bonus when the roads are still icy.  Up on our hill we are always the last to see the snow disappear.

The sun came out as we set off across the snow covered grass.

This little bird was enjoying hopping on and off the remains of a snowman.  We think it is a female Lesser Whitethroat but please do tell me if that is wrong and what the sweet little bird might be.
Edit - Caroline from Ragged Robin blog has identified the little bird for me as a Stonechat. Thank you, I knew someone would know🐦
 
It was muddy as well as icy and you never knew how deep the mud was until you sank into the furrows.

Across the city to the hills of Cheshire.  To the left, on the horizon you can just see the folly at the village of Mow Cop.

Tractors had been out making dirty tracks in the snow.

The sculpture of pit wheels commemorate those lost in an accident many years ago.

I love this tree, it looks perfect in all seasons.  Winter trees have a strange beauty especially in ice and snow.


 In the distance one man and his dog on the hill, otherwise it was just us.


The pond, which had been dry all summer was full again and completely iced over.

The sky started to change as we turned and headed towards home.

Lots of people and dog tracks in the snow.

We thought these tracks were probably made by a crow as there were quite a few of them about their black feathers standing out against the white of the snow.

By this time it was getting very cold.

We'd had the best of the day.

Now we are back in lockdown and I feel for those who have to go out to work, those who are worried about their children's education, teachers and support workers in the thick of it, shop and postal workers and all those on the front line who care for our health and safety. For us things won't change much, local walks, local Co-op shop and staying indoors.  Keep warm and safe everyone.
 

28 comments:

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    1. Thank you Barbara, glad you enjoyed them:)

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  2. Thank you Rosie, you have given me my much needed snow fix. Lovely to be able to walk from home and see such beauty. Take care. B x

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    1. Thank you Barbara, the snow is at is worst now, frozen over in places and treacherous underfoot, but it was beautiful when it first fell:)

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  3. Looks like you enjoyed your walk. Great photos. Liz

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  4. I'm glad you were able to take a walk not far from home. We have had a share of the snow and we're waiting for more. I haven't been out, but can observe the changes in the weather from indoors.

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    1. Thank you Linda, we seem to have spent a lot of time indoors too over the last two weeks, it was good to get out for a while:)

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  5. The winter tree silhouetted against the clouds and sky is such a beautiful thing. Perhaps it reminds us that seasons come and go and yet some things remain stalwart. We all certainly need a dose of perseverance and courage during these days. I'm hoping for some snow here this year!

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    1. Thank you Lorrie. The tree certainly lifts the spirits which helps us to stay strong and look to the future. Hope you get your wished for snow:)

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  6. Wow, that does look wintry and unlike what we get here in winter, though if we lived a little higher up towards the ranges, it does get that cold a few times a year. Not very summery at the moment & we've had lots of rain here in Victoria so far this season. Thanks for sharing, take care & huggles.

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    1. Thank you susan, it was very cold and we had to wrap up warm but it was so lovely to be outdoors. Take care:)

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  7. Sad news about the total lockdown again, my 3 nephews went to school for one day and are now bac into on line learning. Stay safe and stay strong!

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    1. Thank you, yes the school near us opened just for one day as I could see the lights in the early morning just beyond the trees. Don't know if the pupils were in or if it was just teachers getting ready for the start of term which didn't start:)

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  8. What gorgeous snowy photos and a great walk. Still no snow here, it's mainly grey and rainy. More of the same here too when it comes to Lockdown. Stay safe. 🙂

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    1. Thank you Karen, we are used to the lockdowns now, they don't seem so scary as the first time. Now is a good time to have snow when we can't go out and about:)

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  9. Beautiful snowy photos Rosie. It looks a super walk to have on the doorstep especially if there are few people about! I think your little bird may be a Stonechat??? Stay safe and well in these worrying times.

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    1. Thank you RR. It is good to have such a large green area not far away and certainly easy to walk to as we haven't had the car out for a while. Yes, it could be a stonechat now I've seen them online, I've looked at the Staffordshire Bird blog but haven't seen any reports of them on Berryhill. I will edit my words above. Take care in this new lockdown:)

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  10. The photos are lovely and very nice to see the Stonechat! Snow does make everything look magical!

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    1. Thank you Pam, we watched the stonechat for ages wondering what it was, it was flying up and down onto the melting snowmen that children had built there:)

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  11. That's a very pretty walk Rosie. I envy all the open space you have to walk to. My parents are getting their second Pfizer jabs today. They are in their eighties and I haven't seen them since Christmas day 2019. Feeling melancholic today but at least the sun is shining! :)

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    1. Thank you Simone, normally in the winter it is a very muddy walk but thanks to the snow and ice the ground was hardened enough to walk on. I wish your parents well with their jabs, I'm glad they have had them and I hope you will be able to see them again soon. I also hope your melancholy mood has lifted, I always feel that way at New Year:)

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  12. Icey cold pictures and so nice to see a stone chat there. I saw one on moorland in October but didn't manage to get a photo. X

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    1. Thank you, yes we were lucky to see the stonechat as we did wonder what it was - we watched it for ages and I wished I'd taken the binoculars:)

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  13. You are intrepid walkers - snow, mud, nothing stops you. I'm impressed. And gorgeous photos to show for it.
    Amalia
    xo

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    1. Thank you Amalia, we've only had one short walk since then which was to the post office and back, as the paths were very slippy it took ages:)

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  14. What a wonderful place to walk. I absolutely agree with you about winter trees. x

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    1. Thank you Mrs T. Winter trees can be so beautiful. It is a good place to walk:)

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