Thursday 17 December 2009

SkyWatch Friday Season 4 Episode 22 Winter skies

Yesterday dawned with a heavy frost and felt bitterly cold. It was no surprise when snow started falling. When we took our afternoon walk the light was fading fast and mist was thickening. It was invigorating and the dogs had great fun. Earlier in the year these 'fields' were thick with trees.
They were harvested, the ground turned over and saplings planted. Our familiar landscape had changed and revealed new walks. Fresh ponds were created.
This morning was beautiful - blue sky and bright sunshine and it felt warmer but as the day wore on dark clouds gathered and there were several falls of snow which didn't settle.
By the middle of the afternoon, around 2:30, clouds were scudding across the sky changing the skyscape every few seconds.
Full darkness came early and with it a drop in temperature. Ice is making the ground treacherous and we're promised more snow tomorrow. Because our weather changes so rapidly on this small island we don't usually have long spells of one condition and never seem to be prepared for 'bad' weather so doubtless there will be all sorts of transport problems. However, most schools will have broken up by the end of the day so there will be a noticeable drop in the volume of traffic on the roads.Thank you to the hard-working SkyWatch team for organising and hosting this fascinating meme. To see skies around the world please click here.

25 comments:

  1. Oh, WOW! it does look cold! And your photos capture it -- gave me the shivers!! Love the last two, those trees with all the tiny branches etched against the stormy skies! Mysterious and beautiful at the same time!

    Have a lovely weekend and stay warm! Thanks as always for stopping by and for your comment!

    Sylvia

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  2. really love that last photo! the sky looks angry! great pictures!

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  3. Such dreary skies you have. I'll gladly share mine. :D

    Merry Christmas!

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  4. Thank you Sylvia - one of the joys of living in this sea-surrounded island is the ever-changing skies. Nice and warm here with our log-burners! Have a lovely weekend.
    Johnny - great to look at and wonderful to be out in - in the right gear :-)
    Aww, Dewdrop - too kind :-)

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  5. Trying to work out the carbon sequestration for that lot would be a nightmare!!

    Love that shot of the chap walking with his dogs down the rows of non-existant trees. The blue of the parka stands out wonderfully.

    Good post.

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  6. Fantastic shots Janice, I've just reached for my sweater. I hate it when trees are cut down, but I like the sound of new ponds.

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  7. Your afternoon clouds look quite dramatic. Nice captures! I'm glad you had a walk before the brooding weather moved in.

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  8. Brrrrrrrr ... just looking at your wintry photos makes me shiver though I do find them beautiful from a distance. I'm sharing my warmer beach sunset views at Sacred Ruminations this week ;-)
    Hugs and blessings,

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  9. Nice series of wintery photos...it looks like it could be Ohio...especially the fields...

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  10. gorgeous pics!


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  11. Beautiful sky shots. It does look cold there.

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  12. Amazing winter snaps. I take the weather for granted living in Florida. I got cold just looking at this set.

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  13. Hi Janice, Just catching up after my holidays. Thanks for your comments on my blog. Your photos of winter skies are beautiful. I love sitting by the fire watching the falling snow through the window. A real Christmassy feeling!
    Elcmae

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  14. amazing shots, we had some in london too.

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  15. Thank you Julie - the 'chap' is actually me and I'm a chapess LOL!
    Chris - I was toasty in my down jacket and there was no wind . . .
    Janie - dogs must have their walks no matter what the weather :-)
    storyteller - sorry to make you shiver. I'll come and warm up with your photos!
    Carol - I think I'd like Ohio :-)
    magiceye - thank you - will do!
    Secret Mom - it is cold but not Arctic
    Tara - sorry! ;-)
    Elcmae - snap! It's making me feel quite festive too!

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  16. Ominous dark sky
    threatening blinding snowfall—
    time to seek shelter.

    My Sky

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  17. Out of these series of photographs I prefer the third image. Nice job!
    Joyce, IL, USA

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  18. Looks pretty cold out there! Brrr.

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  19. soulbrush - I hope it's not too snarled up in London today . . .
    Magical Mystical Teacher - it's certainly good to get back indoors by the fire!
    Light and Voices - thank you!
    AL - fortunately there was no wind . . .

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  20. Snowy clouds..and chilling air..all sure signs of winter.

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  21. Janice: you always manage to evoke something. This time I've got "In the Bleak Midwinter" going through my head. For once I'm glad I'm here and not there--if only for the sunshine blazing through the window at the moment (it's a balmy 8C outside).

    Have a lovely weekend!

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  22. Eaglesbrother - there's no doubt in UK at present that it is winter, but honestly an outsider would think we had never seen snow before. The reportage verges on the hysterical.
    Candace - the song that came into your head is very fitting. It's a beautiful hymn but can only be sung properly by trained choristers - everyone else gradually sings more and more off-key and it becomes a real dirge!

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  23. Janice: we used to do it in our annual Messiah Sing when I was in grad school. The instigator was my Scottish philosophy tutor, and he trained us up well. I didn't even know that Christina Rossetti's poem had ever been put to music until I started singing it.

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  24. Candace - I suppose I was really thinking of junior school children (7 - 11-year-olds) many of whom probably didn't want to sing anything at all! Church congregations don't generally sing well either.
    I sang the Messiah when I was at school - can't believe I could reach the high notes - I certainly can't now I'm a four-note soprano!
    Have a happy weekend!

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  25. It does look chilly there, and the skies are moody. Thanks for sharing your wintry set of photos.

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