Winter walk

At last a peaceful walk in that characteristic yellow light of winter.

The golcrests accpmpanied us in the forest, the mallards as we walked along the still lively river, and for some time we followed wolf tracks from one wolf.

To walk, breathe the fresh air, watch the low-key beauty, without demands that is for me a true rest.

Only around half past one, but the sun is already setting.
Toby full of enthusiasm by the brook.
The lake was frozen.

The snow is here

Winter is here and with it the snow. It is beautiful, especially how it lightens up the long dark evenings and renders the morning and day the crystal beauty of a fairytale.

These two last walks I have come across a flock of whooper swans resting in the snow on a normally quite wet field. Their white or gray feathers, depending on age, and light yellow beak against the white winter landscape is a sight to be seen. To my joy they have accepted my presence as I stand there looking at them. Only their very soft song is heard in the stillness of winter, followed by the rustling sound of their feathers as they rouse. I’m impressed by their toughness and grateful to be able to watch their beauty.

I haven’t brought my camera with me on these walk. Though sad from one point of view, some moments are perhaps just meant to be experienced in their simple beauty. In that sense I’m not just an onlooker, but also a partaker in the same moment as them.

Winter colours

During winter the brightest colour we have is the blue sky. I love to look at it in all its brightness. But there are other colours to be found which the snow enhances and brings to my attention. When visiting my sleeping little corner of the garden, the rose hips in their red colour brightens my day. Without the snow, they wouldn’t really have caught my eye, beautiful.

In the woods apart from the maturated emerald colour of the firs, the ferns are my favourites. It is something in their light brown colour that is so beautifully contrasted with the snow which causes me to stop and just watch and ponder.

Sunday colours

There is few things as beautiful as fog in the morning a winter day… A walk that lasted some hours, cold but very beautiful.

I love these lonley roads, especially on Sunday forenoons when people prefer being at home, I suppose taking a long breakfast. There is a silence in the air created, I think, by the low temperature, as if every creature is economising with even the callings to save some energy. Even the thoughts become sparse, the mind listening to the sound of birds flapping and one’s own footsteps in the snow.