A very cold, frosty morning walk (Coombe Wood)

It was so cold this morning that my car doors were all frosted firmly shut. I could only open the boot so I took the parcel shelf out, clambered in (with difficulty!) and thumped the back door. As the door began to work loose one of my neighbours came to the rescue and tugged on the door from the outside, then helped me open the front door as well. Later on, after the necessary food shopping trip, I drove to Coombe Wood quite a bit later than usual, not expecting there to be much frost left. How wrong could I be? 

Harsh frost and ice as well! 

Icy pond

The ice on the pond had tiny melted pools in the ridges which reflected the sky.

Bare branches covered in thorns and frost. 

Frosty figs in the sun.

Icy puddles on the path/ 

Strange icy patterns. 

Frosty seed heads. 

Planes left vivid short trails which vanished fast.

Frosty arm of a wooden bench.

Frost crystals on weather worn wood. 

Another icy puddle. 

The remaining callicarpa berries are such deep purple now.

 I dawdled looking at the frosty leaves on the ground.

Red stems showed up brilliantly against the sunlit green.

Frosty leaves in the sunlight. 

Frost on a bench - such long crystals! 

The cold has made some of the leaves collapse onto the ground.

Magnolia buds and beautiful blue sky. 

Each frosty leaf an exquisite work of art. 

The dying plants in the herbaceous borders transformed by white crystals.

The cases of the spindle berry cases were in the sunshine - all the bright orange berries have fallen off now.

The frost has finished these off leaving shaggy bundles of wilting leaves decorated with sparkling crystals.

Long frost crystals on the broken sundial gnomon.

These were probably the longest crystals I saw. It always amazes me that the winter pansies and primulas recover from this.

Yew arch, sundial and winter bedding plants. 

Bright red leaf, edged with frost with a shiny area of ice near the tip.

A tangle of frosty branches. 

Another icy puddle. 

More long crystals. 

Frosty starry seedpods. 

Frosty roof tops lit up in the sunlight.

Thank you very much for joining me.