and the view from the bottom of the garden

frost, blue sky, Venterdon barns and the church

more from aladdin's cave

another magical image from our favourite lane, thanks to the exceptionally hard frost

aladdin's cave

freezing fogs, mist, and haw frost are making for magical morning walks.

the commute to work

starlings off to find food for the day.

going browner still

the colour of the leaves on the rowan tree at the bottom of our estate (!) are very vivid this year and make a pretty sight mixed with the bright red of the berries. Many fields locally have a large tree (usually an oak or beech) standing in the middle to provide some shade for the livestock, and in the autumn they provide these picturesque images set against the natural mixed deciduous woods that cover the valley sides.

on Weir Quay 2

we walked along the footpath going North from Holes Hole, and eventually came upon this stunning view of the river and wetlands looking North towards Cotehele Quay (the grey building towards the top left on the river), and below towards Pentillie Castle on our way back.

on Weir Quay

on a stunningly beautiful day we went for a walk along the Tamar between Weir Quay, Holes Hole and Hooe (the white house in the picture is at the head of the Hooe).

moonbows

a full moon, and the eerie sight of a moonbow from light refracted from ice crystals in the clouds. Why are moon shadows so much sharper than normal shadows?

Trenant woods

we were gifted some trees planted in Trenant Wood, a woodland trust wood near Looe so we went for a walk there today to visit them. It is hard going at first but the views are spectacular, down the river Looe to the Looe and the sea. The picture is badly over exposed at the top (it was a very sunny day today) but gives a good impression of the tidal flats above Looe, with the wooded valley on either side.

Cadsonbury Hill

Cadsonbury Hill is an iron age hill fort and compound that stands over the Lynher river just southwest of New bridge (so called when it was built in the fifteenth century) over the Lynher, on the road from Callington to Liskeard (see link). This is the view looking up the Lynher valley towards Kit Hill. The rampart and ditch are still very well preserved. Like Silbury, the hill on which the fort stands looks very odd in the surrounding landscape and is clearly man made to some degree. The slopes are very steep. Spot and Harriet are pleased to demonstrate.



.

last of the winter sun

freezing fog in the valleys, and just visible to the top left, bathed in evening sun, the tower of Stoke Climsland church

snipe over Dartmoor, and Venterdon

snipe (dot in sky in top picture) are easily startled and very quick through the air, but have a characteristically over long beak for their small bodies. They often live in the fields in the winter but it is extremely difficult to catch them in a photograph, they're gone before the camera can focus.

the fields of gold

another strange day with a golden sunset across freezing fog creating an eerie and magical world of soft suffused light; it reminded me for some reason of the song, but fields of miscanthus not barley.

Out for a walk

the light in the morning is lovely at this time of year. In the distance, on the other side of the Inny valley you can see the little village of Treburley (home of the Springer Spaniel pub). I think the Lurcher would also be a winning name for a local pub.

Try clicking on the lane label under this picture to get a flavour of our lanes through the year.

New Year 2

the first view from Kit Hill below is towards Plymouth. The English Channel is the thin sliver of bright light at the top right.
.

The second view is of Brentor sitting in front of the main mass of Dartmoor. It is usually much more difficult to pick out from the background.
.

Brentor is the little pimple like hill (plus church) to be seen just below the russet brown line of Dartmoor on the far horizon . It is a strange place (see link) with many legends (see link)

and the view

It was a very clear day, and this photo shows the Tamar valley (very flattened by the perspective), and in view are the villages of Luckett, Sydenham Damerel, Milton Abbot, Horsebridge, Townlake and Tutwell, and in the far distance the hills of Dartmoor looking towards Okehampton.

hot air over Bodmin

hot air ballon over Caradon radio mast (above) and Sharp Tor (below), and crash (?) landing in field

more snow from Cornwall

"OK," you can hear the lamb saying, "the joke is over". Above are pictures of Rezare, and Sharp Tor/Bodmin moor in the distance.

still snowing in Cornwall 1

more snow greeted us this morning, bringing life to a complete halt as usual. The rooks were enjoying a bit of apres ski, the goldfinches were trying (impossibly) to look inconspicuous, and the drive into Duchy College looked very picturesque.

Snow in Cornwall 2

the snow seems to have the effect of cleaning the air, making the light crystal clear. In the background, on the edge of the hill you can see what is known locally as the Temple. This is a folly built in late eighteenth century (see link). You are very welcome to come and stay there.