A Week of Frozen Hands

 Returning from the Christmas break has been absolutely brutal this week, because it's been below zero every morning and also I've been suffering from lockdown blues that have made it very hard to get moving in the morning.

One morning in particular was savagely cold, and initially I couldn't get my hands to grip the bars and brakes of my bike properly. Yes, the return of Raynaud's Rides, where my hands get agonised and turn purple.

I suppose however, that when you get concrete hard frosts, then you do get some very pretty photo opportunities.

I just wish it wasn't so painful to get them.

Si

All texts and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 09.01.21

Well that was Bloody Freezing

This morning was a rare bitter and frosty one by this winter's standards, and a hat and gloves were very much needed as I walked around the park admiring how finally the puddles had iced over, and the grass' hair had gone grey overnight.

I was profoundly glad not to be cycling to work this morning, that's for sure.

This evening saw our first cricket net practice session of the new season, at a rather impressive new facility at a local school where the ball bounces higher than ankle high for a change. Not for me alas, as my bursitis hip told me as I ran in that I wasn't allowed to bowl today; it gave way straightaway, and although I was able to bat, albeit with discomfort, I couldn't bowl any more that horribly ineffective left arm spin that 12 year olds were able to smash around the hall.

However, on the positive side I only got bowled when I had three balls left and tried to play a shot by walking a yard to the offside and missing it completely.

My reverse sweeps didn't get a much better result, or response either from the amused onlookers. But it was a well attended session, with some new players to boot!

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 19.01.20

My Own Personal Big Freeze

As I had glumly predicted  last night, as the pavements began to sparkle with ice and the puddles solidify into solid mirrors for the streetlights, this morning was going to be a very cold cycle into work.

And that is exactly what it was, a rimed world of biting air at minus seven celsius, Raynaud hands bitten by cold as I rode along trying to keep my eyes open for black ice in the pre-dawn light.

I was safe though, riding very carefully and the dry night meant there wasn't too much ice to be had. But it was still a relief to get to work in one piece.

The grasslands at work looked stunning, plants frozen into crystalline alien life forms on a frozen satellite in another solar system. Then the fog came, and the air glittered with drifting hoar frost.

It was beautiful, but I'd rather it happened at the weekend when I'm not working.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 31.01.19

Fire on the Ice

My leg has been rather sore today, so I thought that with my sister and her fiance now gone back to London, I would take advantage of the time to try and do another purge of my kitchen - partially successful - and have a nice long walk on a bright but punishingly cold day - temperatures of -5 at dawn.

I did the tour of the two lakes, albeit at a much slower pace than usual, expecting that the freezing weather might have brought some more interesting ducks onto the water, but alas no goosander, pochard or shoveller, although a cormorant was taking advtange of the kerfuffle caused by a large flock of black headed gulls to fish.

Nature on the water was thus not too interesting, but the sun shining off the ice that had formed on the surface was stunning.

There were lots of birds out in the trees along the cycle path, a bullfinch yesterday but today we had a lot of blue and great tits and also a fair few chaffinch.

The golden low sun has been beautiful this last couple of days, gilding the town in precious metals.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 29.12.16