It is here

[Jacob Bugge]

[CarlosCanto]

nice pics Steve...

...this side of the world is freezing too!! we have record low temperatures in Los Angeles, 50°F. This Thursday we will have the coldest Rose Parade in history.

[Kurt Gold]

Jacob, have you already thought about purchasing a second-hand snow gun?

That way we could always enjoy snapshots of your snow-capped scrubland.

[Jacob Bugge]

It pretends to be here.

How is it there?

[Doug A Roberts]

I think we in the south of England may have to live without it this year.

[tromboniator]

Doug, I think you speak for South-central Alaska as well. Lots and lots of rain, occasional nighttime freezing. Amazing orange orb settling through the Cook Inlet fog as we drove south late this afternoon, but no time to stop for a photo.

[Steve Fairbairn]

I took this one a couple of days ago of our local bit of sea with bits of ice floating around in the glow of the sunset.

But today we are back to normal; rain and wind.

[Jacob Bugge]

Pure pleasure, Steve.

It is amazing how different orders of magnitude may look the same.

[Steve Fairbairn]

Pleasure for looking at but I fear that only the very hardiest souls would wish to swim in it.

[Jacob Bugge]

It still pretends to be here.

[Steve Fairbairn]

Aahh, the towering peaks of Denmark! Is that white bit maybe a glacier?

[Jacob Bugge]

Deer crossing glacier with trees.

[Steve Fairbairn]

Whoops. One of Santa’s got away while he was in the pub.

Up here it can’t make up it’s mind. Rained a bit this morning, snowed a bit at lunchtime then rained some more with a bit of sunshine. And now (just gone midnight) there’s snow on the car.

[Jacob Bugge]

It was here,

[Steve Fairbairn]

Temp. went down to –9°C yesterday. Then it tried to snow. Now it’s raining. I think you are catching the left-overs of ours.

[Jacob Bugge]

I think you are right, Steve (maybe a bit like with Eyjafjallajökull, did it ever come your way?).

First something heavy and transparent, then something heavy and white weighing the lower branches completely down, then frost to make the tips stick to the ground and heavy wind to blow off most of the white stuff, all during the night to leave the strange sight above (some may have the same feeling of being stuck when Illy freeezes).

Now winter is over and we have gone back to autumn (I hope) or forth to spring (I fear).

[Doug A Roberts]

allegedly it was in some other parts of the country on saturday, bit it wasn't here. somewhat disappointing.

[Steve Fairbairn]

Now it’s really here with a vengeance.

Minus 7°C and a storm forecast for tomorrow morning.

[Jacob Bugge]

Now we are talking, or at least the lucky one of us, Steve.

[Jacob Bugge]

The beginning and end of the second single day winter this year, with brownies (2 pairs, the right one hardly visible against the brown bit with the grains and seeds), and a few others.

[Steve Fairbairn]

It's been here so long that we are beginning to wish it wasn't. Ice studs are the order of the day.

And here's another shot from nearly the same place. Howling gale and a coastguard boat returning from a rescue mission.

Happy near year by the way.

[Jacob Bugge]

Indeed, Steve: Happy New Year.

Ah, looks into eternity.

Am I right in believing that the first look is more or less south(west) and the other one is west (over there being (quite) a bit beind the birds and the boat)?

[Steve Fairbairn]

Yep, just about right. SSW in the first one and WSW-ish in the second one.

Both taken with as much zoom as my pocket camera could manage. It was far too windy for a long lens.

[Jacob Bugge]

I can imagine, Steve, thinking the picture of the taker of the Hallgrímskirkja and Mt. Esja tooken.

Re: It is here

[Jacob Bugge]

Yesterday was roeday, the fifth day of the third winter this year (the first two winters being a month and a half ago and ten days ago).

Dinner on the terrace (young buck, just beside the window): first ivy (always the main course), then rosehips and rosebuds for afters, while keeping an eye on the road at the bottom of the garden 100 feet away, before walking down the seven steps into the garden.

Then afternoon tea (doe and fawn/young doe): synchronized eating of wheat and oil seeds (blackbird leaving, still mouse waiting for the buzzard),

and mirrored eating (birds returning, still mouse still waiting).

Then supper after dusk (another doe joining the party).

[Steve Fairbairn]

Nature: a place where birds fly around uncooked. (Oscar Wilde).