CFFC

December In The Cotswolds

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Dull day in the Cotswolds. The sort of day you will the sky gods to switch on the lights.  But then I spotted this wonderful tree. It lit up the street and the ochre tones of old Cotswold stone. I’ve no idea what it is. (I should have done a close-up of the berries). Notions anyone? Jude? Laura?

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For logistical reasons that ever confound family gatherings at Christmas, we celebrated ours a week earlier than most people, staying in a cottage near Broadway. The weather was mostly dank and dismal, but there was the odd bright interval, and the splashes of red, festive and otherwise, brightened up the street scenes.

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Happy New Year Everyone

CFFC: Red

Today Over The Garden Fence

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This morning we woke to thickly frosted panes on the cottage roof lights. But what a change after the dank and gloomy days. The frost came with added sunshine. And blue-sky brilliance. And frosted sparkles. And somehow cold weather doesn’t seem half so shivery when it brings wall-to-wall brightness.

This is the Evereste crab apple tree by the back garden fence. The pigeons and blackbirds have been scoffing the tiny apples. At least half the crop has gone already. It helps that the fruits are much smaller this year so the birds can get their beaks round them. And in between times, the apples that remain make fine beaded garlands, which we can see, looking up through the kitchen’s French windows. It truly is a treasure of a tree.

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Back in August and September:

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CFFC: Apple Red Colours

The Texture Of Water?

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The Mawddach River after the storm. There’s a tension here – a case of estuarian counterflow as the sea tide washes up against  the river’s downflow. There’s an odd perception, too, of evolving solidity – of molten metal perhaps – artisan silver with flecks of gold; or of liquid thickening in the making of a sauce. Anyway, I thought it was an interesting effect.

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The photo was taken last Wednesday as we arrived in Mid-Wales on the tail of a colossal downpour. We were starting a 4-day stay, and very much fearing a wash-out sojourn. But we needn’t have worried. We did have some fine days.

This is where we were staying – Borthwnog Hall on the banks of the estuary. A return visit after several years, but this time with a balcony view across the salt marsh at low tide. Fascinating places tidal rivers and estuaries. More photos in following posts.

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CFFC: Texture