Well one thing was certain, when I waded through the snow to the allotment yesterday afternoon – no-one else would be daft enough to be there. A hundred or so yards from the house, I almost turned back. The snow was coming in over my wellies, and it truly was hard work tramping through the low drifts. My well trodden path along the field edge was no longer familiar. The world was iced blue-white with only a passing buzzard to break the stillness.
You might wonder what had induced me to go up there at all – with all the garden plots buried under a foot of snow. But I needed parsnips, and I needed leeks, and parsley and Tuscan kale from the polytunnel. And once I was there, I thought I’d better shift some of the snow from the polytunnel roof, since we’d been promised all-day snow on Sunday, which has indeed come to pass.
It took a while to find and extract the parsnips. The soil wasn’t frozen under the snow-blanket, but was very, very sticky – doing a good impression of stuff stuck in quicksand. But mission accomplished, veggie-wise, I noticed a change in the light and started taking photos instead.
As I was heading home, I realised I could hear the whoops and cries of happy sledders. You can just make them out on the hillside north-east of the church tower. But for the power-lines (that intrude on most views of Wenlock) it might be a traditional Victorian winter scene.
Which reminds me. While I’m here, I’d like to thank all the local farmers who have been out on their tractors clearing roads and spreading grit. My entranced-by-snow moments are all very well, but some people need to drive places. Multiple gold stars to the farmers then.
copyright 2017 Tish Farrell
Tish Farrell 
love the photos, Tish, particularly the water droplet. Although I would love to pop in for a White Christmas, it is stories like yours that make me appreciate our winters and Christmas weather….cold, wet, and usually fairly warm. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours.
Lovely to hear from you, Woolly. And all the best season’s greetings to you and yours too.
Clone out the electricity pylons, convert to mono with a sepia tone, and voila! A Victorian scene of sledders! I am most impressed with your stamina and determination, apropos veggies….
Tish, you would have seen me out there as well, not after veggies, but just enjoying the snow! Oh, how I wish we had some. At any rate, I enjoyed the walk with you and now being inside with a warm drink. While all the photos are lovely, that header photo is the best.
janet
Thanks, Janet 🙂
Enjoy looking t the photos.. You are brave to venture out.Just don’t end up in a heap with anything broken.goodness knows that would make for a very long winter.
ps. wish my hoop had something good inside besides the lemon tree but no.
Many thanks for your kind thoughts bc. I did take a stick on my expedition, though it was a bit of nuisance when it came to photo-taking 🙂
Very pretty but glad I am inside looking at these, and not out collecting leeks and parsnips!
Winter can create gorgeous magic and you have captured that beautifully. Stay warm and hopefully you won’t be knee deep in it too often this winter.
The photos are gorgeous Tish. Sounds like mayhem down south but the snow still hasn’t got here and we’re on our way home from Leeds xx
Glad you’re not bogged down. Here it’s snowed all day.
You’ve got our share. Just as I hit the send button it started to snow. 🙂 Home now and I think I’ll abstain from photos till morning 🙂
A winter wonderland.
It does seem so 🙂
❄️
You’re bonkers, but I do love your ice photos!
Thank you, Gilly for that swift diagnosis 🙂
I admire your determination. I haven’t seen snow like that since 2010. Warmer here, but I still wasn’t going outside to pick parsley 😀
I didn’t go out today. Just prodded a rose bush with the end of cobwebbing brush from the back door. It (the rose) was in danger of being crushed with all the snow.
A rose in snow. Says it all about our weird climate.
Even the campanula was still managing to flower with huge snow bonnet on top of it. Doubt if it’s still doing so this morning. V.V. frosty out there.
Lovely photos Tish, especially the header shot. From what my mum in Northampton has said, it sounds like the snow is pretty widespread. Stay safe and warm and enjoy your garden harvest.
Thank you, Su. We look to be in for some freezingness tomorrow, and then all change 🙂
hi – had to chime in su – we also have been bombarded with some snow – all the way over here on east coast of US
pretty widespread indeed.
🙂
gold star to the farmers and all who help clear…
and how nice – really glad you needed those leeks….
led to such splendid photos
the ice ones are my fav
glad you liked them, Yvette 🙂
🙂
oh you’ve caught blue remembered hills whilst out parsnip hunting – not many allotmenteers pack a camera
Well sometimes one does need visual proof of how big my parsnips have grown 🙂 🙂
😮
Half our world is on fire, hot, drying up, while another quarter is drowning … and WE are getting early — and heavy — snow. I think overall, the snow is the best of the choices. I took a few pictures today. Yours are better.
The light after a snow is magical. I don’t even know how to describe it, but you captured it beautifully. Your world is perfection in the snow. So is ours and it isn’t the snow’s fault that I’m getting to an age where plowing through it is so very difficult.
I always take a camera wherever I go because you just don’t know when you’ll see THAT special picture 🙂 Love your hanging ice. Looks like Christmas tree decorations. I am guessing that is what they had in mind when they made the original decorations.
Today all the snow fall of the last 2 days is frozen. It’s like a sculpture park in the garden. But it wouldn’t be so lovely if we didn’t have a nice warm house to live in, and had to flog about the place searching for firewood. The world we live in has become a very strange place in all sorts of ways. Just as the snow changes the landscape so you hardly know it, I somehow feel we’re also losing our moral compass. It’s tempting to think it would be nice to have a clean sheet and start again, and build systems that meet everyone’s actual needs, instead of nation states that serve only to fuel unnecessary wants while their elites run off with all the loot. But yes (before this turns into a rant) that ice crystal hanging on someone’s coat thread – caught on the fence wire who knows when, did make me very happy.
Another wonderful post to feed snow-nostalgia. I can guarantee I won’t be able to feed it here. I’m slowly discovering – it took me long enough – that it’s always worth going out! And you’ve given me the benefits without the hard slogging. That palette of blue and black is superb, and the sledders make me wonder why I didn’t have a go last winter. I’m probably not as breakable as I think!
I was thinking I’d like to go sledding. I don’t think it would break us, Meg. I remember the joy of rolling around in soft snow. Maybe next time you’re in Warsaw!
No more winters!
I can understand that, Meg.
It’s much like that in Ireland too, only we never expect this!
Love the pics. Have to say particularly enjoyable from my nice warm view point. We did actually get some snow yesterday. Enjoy your winter wonderland. Janet 🙂
I popped out into the garden an hour ago, and nearly froze my fingers off taking a few photos. Not had this much coldness in ages. So yes, it’s good to keep warm indoors. You stay warm too, Janet 🙂
Love your header photo, Tish. How does parsley survive under the snow? After your mention, I could eat some roast parsnips right now. 🙂
My parsley is in the polytunnel so it should be OK. I think it should survive outside too, though I haven’t risked it. Also it keeps growing a bit in the polytunnel which it wouldn’t do outside at this time of year.
Very clever. I know naught of polytunnels. 😅
What a remarkable capture, Tish! Brave to be out there. 🙂
Not so brave, Amy. It was lovely out there, and I had my stick for depth testing 🙂
Fine snowy images, Tish. A bit miffed that Northumberland has missed out on the current deluge 😦
It’s been blooming cold today, though. Very inhibiting on the digits for photo-taking.
Lovely photos. 🙂
Thank you, my dear. I’m hoping your are well.
Wonderful pictures, Tish! Isn’t it rare to get this much snow…and so early? I enjoy pictures of winter magic even more than I used to, now that I live in the ‘evergreen world’. Thank you!
We’ve not had snow like this for years. For the last few winters we’ve got by with hardly a frost. It’s been like an extended holiday – roads closed, and very reduced traffic in consequence. And so much quietness about the place. Schools closed too and all the kids out sledding. Big hugs to you and Dylan.
Sounds beautiful! I am going to spend the first part of my holidays in Stockholm at my sister’s and saw today that a snow storm was predicted for middle of next week 🙂
So glad you’re going to your sister’s. Stockholm should be a real treat.
I hope the parsnips and leeks tasted extra delicious after all the effort you went to, to get them. Have you and the environment defrosted yet? Beautiful photos
Can’t beat a good garden parsnip, especially if you finish off the roasting with a small drizzle of maple syrup 🙂
Oh, indeed. The older generation in my family used to say the best parsnips needed a frost to bring out their full flavour. The same with swede.
Definitely true, Ann.
Of all the things our elders tell us, isn’t it funny the things we retain? My great grandmother was said to have made the most excellent parsnip wine.
Now that, I believe, can be very, very good, if not somewhat lethal 🙂
I haven’t had the opportunity to try it. 😦
The world suffers a snow-change!
Ellington
Nice one, Arletta!