To a Clearer, Brighter New Year

I’ve been hearing repeatedly, in reference to the globe's present situation, “the darkest hour of the night comes just before the dawn”, a saying that is centuries old, first printed in a work of Thomas Fuller, A Pisgah Sight Of Palestine And The Confines Thereof (search for 'dawneth').  It is felt especially by those experiencing midwinter in the Northern hemisphere.  Yet, the natural environment always provides illumination – we just have to be sensitive to it.

Over Christmas I had the good fortune to be at the family home in Worcestershire and went for several walks in the local countryside.  The sun came out one day and there was snow the next, which I captured in two pairs of ‘before’ and ‘after’ photos taken in the morning, about 24 hours apart.

The first pair shows a view of Wychbury Hill from Broome.

The second was taken further along the lane, near Red Hall Farmhouse.

Sometimes daylight hides and snow reveals features of the landscape by what it doesn’t cover.

Trees especially refract light.  On another walk, I wandered to Churchill via Stakenbridge in the mid-afternoon when already the sun was starting to set.

Coming through a small wood, the sun was beckoning ahead, lighting up patches of foliage – reds, yellows and greens.

Having lived for two years in Qatar, where natural freshwater resources are very scarce, I find Britain’s landscapes strikingly verdant by comparison with a lot of colour.

Proceeding on the footpath, another lighting effect was evident – in mist:

And finally, the sun set, the last glimmers cast across a pond

(a temporary view due to a vehicle crashing into a fence).

Yet the weather was set to change again.  Temperatures fell, the clouds cleared, revealing a fairy-tale landscape.  On New Year’s Eve Harvington Hall and its environs were looking splendid.

Being closed to the public at this time merely added to the magical atmosphere of this moated Elizabethan manor house.

There are, though, some residents happily offering to greet visitors:

Perhaps more spectacular than the snow was the hoar frost.

I’m evidently fascinated by trees!  These images link to full-sized versions, where you can zoom in to see the frost more closely.

Just a little way down the slope there is another pond, where I took another snap of a tree with light being refracted.

I’ll finish with a framed image; reflections depend on light.

Further photos on Flickr.

Wishing everyone a clearer, brighter New Year!