Fabulous Frost

After a bitterly cold night, we woke to a foggy and frosty scene this morning. It was just a whisker off minus 5 degrees last night and not far off that when set out for our walk. The fog had created a fabulous hoar frost on everything, including our Pyracantha hedge.

Along the Nutbrook Trail, the dead and dried heads of Hogweed were frosted thickly too.

Still foggy, the scenery was a little muted, but no less beautiful for that.

Grasses were heavy with the clinging crystals of ice.

and fences wore their own coats of white.

Among the trees which hide the old Nutbrook Canal, twisted Alders made some fantastical shapes against the cold.

It all had a kind of savage beauty.

Malcolm wasn't too impressed with the temperatures..!

Later, as the fog started to lift and the sun peeped through, the frost began to glow brightly, making this one of the best frosts I can remember.

Fabulous!

Glorious

Following yesterday's high winds, we awoke this morning to a bright blue sky and plenty of crisp, cold, sunny weather. It was one of those mornings when it would have been a shame to stay in - so we didn't! Climbing Shipley Hill, the scene was bare, but still beautiful in the sunshine.

Over the hill and back down towards Mapperley Reservoir and there was a very chilly wind blowing across the water so we didn't linger very long.

Back home again and the Sparrows were demanding that I refilled the seed dispensers and it was no time at all before they were back on them, selecting their favourites from the selection on offer.

I'm quite impressed with my new camera. These shots are not too bad, even considering they were taken in heavy shade and through our front room window (which needs a good clean by the way).

A few nights ago , I thought I would try it out on the moon - and again, I was quite impressed with the results. As I get to grips with more of the 'bells and whistles', things should still improve.

All for today I think. Back to studying the user's manual...!

That's all from Torquay

Just a few last pictures from our visit to Torquay last week where we'd seen some lovely sea views...

Plenty of bright flowers on the cliff walks...

lots of sunshine...

Attractive gardens...

and something a little out-of-the-ordinary.

It was all well worth the visit and we were very lucky with the the weather.

The best thing however, had to be that wonderful Buzzard...

That's not a face you forget in a hurry!

Spring-like

We were very lucky to have such fine weather in Torquay. For the most part, it was clear, dry and bright and the sea was as calm as a millpond.

It is a bit of a risk spending time away in the UK, in the middle of winter. But we hit the jackpot this time.

With the blue of the sky and the blue of the sea, you couldn't have asked for better.

In the harbour, the sun sparkled off the shiny boats - with a little help from some digital jiggery-pokery on my new camera.

On our last day there, we set off in the direction of Paignton and came across some more gardens by the name of Hollicombe Park. Here too, the flowers were blooming as if it were spring already.

Malcolm was impressed enough to take a 'selfie' in front of the floral display - I should say, only adding to the beauty of the scene.!

More exotica was to be found here, i the shape of some magnificent Mimosa trees, also in full bloom.

By this point, it was getting late in the day and the light was fading, so, it was time to head back.
Time for just one more update tomorrow I think!

Abbey Gardens and a Buzzard

Founded in 1196, Torre Abbey has certainly seen some history.

It was built on land given by the then lord of the manor of Torre, to six Premonstratensian canons from Welbeck Abbey in Nottinghamshire. By 1536 it had become the wealthiest Premonstratensian house in England - then Henry VIII got his hands on it!

The Tithe barn, was built in the early thirteenth century and is known as the Spanish Barn. The name stems from its being used to hold 397 prisoners of war from the Spanish Armada in 1588.

The whole site is today owned by the Torbay Council and operates as a museum and art gallery. There are formal gardens attached to the abbey as well, but we were happy to wander round the more accessible gardens of Abbey Park - looking quite colourful even in January.

Among the flowers and bushes around the cliff-top walks, I was delighted to stumble across a particularly spiky example. A new 'tick' for the life list, it was a Butcher's Broom (Ruscus aculeatus).  The tiny flowers (and later fruits) seem to grow from the underside of its leaves, but the 'leaves' are in fact modified shoots known as cladodes.

The highlight of our time in Torquay however, had to be the wonderful view we had of a Buzzard as we walked along the cliffs.

Unusually tame, this fabulous bird appeared to be enjoying the warm sunshine as we approached....

and despite giving us some careful scrutiny, wasn't in a hurry to fly off, allowing for some wonderful close-ups from only about 8ft away.

What a bird!

Torquay

As usual, we did plenty of walking while we were in Torquay.

We certainly had plenty of fine views across the sea and with the water being so calm and blue, you could have almost believed we were in the Med.

The cliff-top walks were lovely.

as were the views through the pines, back across Torbay.

Some interesting rock formations on the mainland...

some more rugged than others...

and everywhere, those beautiful yellow Coronilla flowers.

and plenty of good-looking red sand beaches too. Just a shade too chilly for a dip!

More to come...

Back Again

Malcolm and I have been away for a few days enjoying the delights of Torquay. It can be a little risky (to say the least), taking a break in Britain in January, but we were remarkably fortunate with the weather.

The waters of the marina, were calm and clear and attracted not only the boats and yachts, but quite a number of Shags (Phalacrocorax aristotelis) too.

Among the leisure craft in the marina, some larger, support vessels were 'parked'. It would seem that these boats are used in maintenance of off-shore wind turbines.

The low sun highlighted the many masts as the gently swayed in the light breeze.

We were delighted to see a large number of plants in full bloom. Considering that it is still only mid January, it was surprising to find Butterbur (Petasites hybridus) in flower. Back home, you would be lucky to find them blooming much before April, but here they were.

Also in full bloom around the cliffs, were these bright yellow beauties - they belong to a Crown Vetch Coronilla glauca. This is more normally found around the Mediterranean but here in Torquay, it was doing very nicely.

More to come...