Frost and fire (Coombe Wood)

FROST

It was more sheltered aound the corner - not so much frost here

A few rich orange daffodil trumpets

Sunlit pine cones

Tiny white shaggy flowers

 Frosty prairie beds

 Magnolia buds and blue sky

 Some of the snowdrops have double or triple petticoats

 Delicate wisps of cloud in blue sky

A glimpse of a magnolia in bloom

I tried to get closer - I wasn't even sure I got to the same tree - this one seemed a lot smaller close up than it had looked from further away - that can't be right can it?

I had to take a slight detour from my usual route to get closer to the magnolia and while making my way back I came across these sunlit golden catkins

and then found myself back at the witch hazel which is still flowering prolifically

Bare branches against the blue sky

Hellebore with a very neat middle

A group of hellebores managing to lift their heads a little

Frost melting on green shoots 

Frosty leaves in the shade

 This may be the last deciduous tree to have any leaves still clinging to it

Sunlit pampas grass

Having watched a TV programme recently about how confused people get about large black birds (crow, raven, rook?) I'm reluctant to suggest what this one is now - I would have said it was a crow before. It was busy pecking among the flowers.

At first I thought the bird was feeding but then I realised it was filling its beak with creamy coloured leaves or petals. It flew up and perched on a shed before flying off into the trees with its collection

Rosemary flowers in the sun

FIRE
I met the gardener as I was coming to the end of my walk and he mentioned that he was having a bonfire near the steps in the wood - I went to have a look.

The ashy heap was filled with caverns which were lit with a deep red glow, like a volcano with rivers of molten lava running inside it

The gardener arrived with a large fork. added some wood and turned the heap a bit

Flames leapt up and licked around the wood

I do enjoy a good bonfire and it was a lovely warm place to be on a frosty morning. It was hard to drag myself away. A few steps back and the cold air hit me again.

I headed back to the gate exactly the same way as I had walked half an hour or so earlier - but the sun had moved around and different plants were lit up by the sunlight - I had to stop to take a few more photos

Hydrangeas

Looking across the lawn - long shadows and a few patches of frost remaining

 Back to the rosemary bush

There was a harsh line between the frost and the melted area where the sun was shining onto the flowerbeds

In a sheltered area icy crystals still clung to tiny leaves

Many of the flowers had thawed out and had recovered from their frosty start to the day 

Rows of little flower stalks stand upright on branches by the fence in the car park.

Thank you very much for joining me