Friday 9 December 2016

and the fog rolls in over the rumpled hills ...


The fog rolled in over the rumpled hills and stayed all day, creating a still and eerie, sound deadened quality to the landscape; trees and ghostly sheep disappeared leaving only sketchy outlines of where they once stood; crows fly, silently, invisible; into the murk and gloom. The following day the sun burnt the remains of the fog and the sky became clear and blue once more.  I watched as a cow gazed dreamily at her reflection in the pond, whilst her friends lolled about on the hillside; cudding and dreaming.  Startled sheep with ears pricked, watched as I strode towards the fence, timid but inquisitive.   A few trees hang on to the last of their leaves, and berries shimmer scarlet in the sunlight.  I walk until the sun goes down and dusk falls; a robin sings the last song of evening.










Elaine
 

the first Lenten rose is blooming
 


north south east west - home's best

 

50 comments:

  1. Elaine, you are so lucky to live near the country. Your pictures are perfect. Your robins look different than ours in the middle US. Hopefully, it won't be a long winter.

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    1. Winter hasn't really started yet - it has been so mild these last few days.

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  2. I love reflections in water so the photo of the cow appeals to me.

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    1. a perfect reflection - no wind to ruffle the picture.

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  3. It very rarely gets foggy here. Lovely pictures, I especially like the first one and the robin. Flighty xx

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    1. It often gets very misty here on the hills - but this was a real fog that swirled and made everything drippy and miserable.

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  4. We also had a very foggy day here in Norfolk which made driving very difficult. Today it is mild and 13 degrees. When I look at your photographs I know I am not looking at Norfolk. Funny isn't it? In spite of it being very rural and few houses and lots of farmland, the landscape is just, well, different!

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    1. It has been very mild here too - not right for this time of year is it. I know what you mean - when we are travelling to Norfolk all the areas we pass through look so different to here. We are mainly grazing country whereas the farmland out of the county seems to be more arable.

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  5. There is something about a robin....

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  6. ... and a wonderful weathervane!

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  7. Yes, the robin, lovely weathervane and wonderful English countryside. Thanks for sharing.

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  8. Fabulous photo of the robin. England in winter, beautiful.

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    1. Thanks Sue. Yes, even the foggy days have an ephemeral beauty.

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  9. My favourite shot is that little puffed up robin! What an attractive and unusual badger weathervane!

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    1. He's a cutie isn't he :) Alas, the weathervane belongs to a neighbour.

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  10. We often wonder where Robins go for the rest of the year. Lovely Robin, and lovely Sheep. Do you make an annual calendar with your photos? You should!

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    1. I am sure they are still around, I can hear them even if they can't be seen that often. I do an annual calendar which I will feature on the blog after Christmas.

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  11. You have captured that dear little robin so beautifully as he looks at you through the corner of his eye.

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    1. I usually can't get that close, he seemed quite tame.

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  12. Your images really show the UK as it is .... foggy and frosty ... robins and red berries ..... I'm ready to start Christmas now Elaine !! XXXX

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  13. We have had some foggy,damp mornings this week. How lovely your photos are especially the inquisitive sheep and the litle robin and I love the badger weather vane:)

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    1. Yes, it has been quite miserable here too. Luckily the sheep did a good natural pose for me :)

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  14. Brilliant.
    I especially love the sheep, the Cotoneaster berries and the robin :)

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    1. Thanks Pat. I shall have to look up the breed - possibly Badger Faced Sheep?

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  15. Beautiful!
    As to fog: when I sat in a train in Scotland, looking out to parts of the sea, I suddenly saw a huge, huge cloud of smoke (near St. Andrews) - and I thought: how come that people don't react, they take no notice at all.
    Well - later I learned that I saw what Paul of the Beatles sang of: "Mist rolling in from the sea"...

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    1. Thank you Britta - I bet that quite a sight to see.

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  16. Another set of fabulous photo's ...
    My favourite is the robin, it's stunning.

    And 'north south east west - home's best' yes, I agree with you!

    Hope the week is going well for you.
    Take care

    All the best Jan

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    1. Thanks Jan. I should have saved that robin photo for my Christmas card this year shouldn't I - oh well.

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  17. Dear Elaine it looks more like spring than winter in your part of the world. The photo of the bovine at the pond is just gorgeous. Love how clearly the reflection was caught in the water. So enjoyed seeing your part of the world. Usually when we have fog it doesn't stay past early day and then sunshine follows. Take care and have a super day. Hugs!

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    1. Dear Debbie
      Yes the cold weather seems to have deserted us - and we are back to mild, rainy weather again. I doubt we will be seeing snow for Christmas this year. Glad you like the photo of the cow reflected in the pond, I thought it would be a good shot when I came across her staring into the water all dreamy and reflective. Enjoy the rest of the week my friend and enjoy your snowfall.

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  18. Beautiful images Elaine, you have such an eye to take such magical images. Sarah x

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  20. Another beautiful, poetic post. How I love fog, unless I'm driving in it! That pic is very mysterious. Ahhhh....look at that cow gazing at herself, well caught, and the wee robin redbreast is so cute, how puffed up it looks.xxx

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    1. Thanks Snowbird. We are having a lot of foggy mornings at the moment everything does look kind of mysterious. I think it is because it is so mild and damp - not my favourite kind of weather :(

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    2. I meant to say, that line about the fog in the rumpled hills would be a great title for a book!xxx

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  21. Is this blog becoming more beautiful all the time? :)
    Beautiful photos and text, I too like especially the cute robin. Another English blogger wrote today: "The robins have started to sing at night." How lovely is that!

    Thank you for your comment today! Yes, for many people this dark and cold time is hard. For me it's not because I enjoy the lights and warmth of Christmas so much. I so wish it would be a happy time for all.
    Stay well!

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    1. Why thank you Sara - that's very kind of you :). The robins song is a lovely thing to hear in winter - very cheering.

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  22. You have a poet's soul. I feel it in your photos. And those other creatures sharing your stroll are delightful; I can't decide which charms me most.

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    1. Thank you Nib - I am delighted that you think I have a poet's soul
      - I like to think so too :)

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  23. A beautiful selection of winter photos. There's been plenty of fog here, too, with the strange silence it brings to the countryside. But there have also been some singing robins, it is lovely to hear some birdsong at this time of year.

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    1. Thank you Wendy. Yes, birdsong at this time of year is definitely a bonus.

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  24. Just to add, I can't seem to get your latest post, and it's taken a few days for this post to show up on my reading list. I don't understand why, but I think our computers aren't talking to each other again.

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    1. I had to delete my latest post as it was causing some problems! It is strange that our computers don't get on isn't it - sorry about that, not sure what the problem is. Thanks for persevering 😊

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  25. The fog rolled in over the rumpled hills and stayed all day, creating a still and eerie, sound deadened quality to the landscape; trees and ...
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