Snowy walk (Coombe Wood)

There was a light snowfall this morning. On my way to Coombe Wood I made a slight detour and was surprised to see blue sky and blossom as l was getting out of the car in the supermarket carpark

Arriving at Coombe Wood it was snowing again. The breeze was whipping clouds of powdery snow from the trees into swirling flurries. The icy pond had little narrow clear channels creating interesting reflections.

Individual snowflakes were visible on some of the tiny plants.

Primulas peeping above a blanket of snow. 

There's something delightful about walking in fresh snow, empty of footprints - however deep it is. Here it was like a generous sifting of icing sugar.

Ferns bowed down with snow. 

Primroses.

 Crocus.

Mahonias hiding. 

Daffodils.

I had to take this one - I thought of my cousin and her friend who love to take tall shadow selfies.

I didn't even notice all those red berries in the background while taking photos of the palm leaves covered in snow.

Snowy Korean Pine with cones.

Looking up the hill - I wasn't even going to try going up there today!

 Snowy Witch Hazel 

The white path made the all the colours along the edge stand out more.

Tracks (a family with a pushchair) along the wide lawn.

Stunning red berries vibrant against the snow.

Heather

Suddenly heavy snow fell again - big flakes that brush against your face like soft feathers.

Ivy seed heads. 

Looking across the raised flower bed towards the sundial and yew arch.

A splash of orange petals above the snow. 

 Snowy Euphorbia. 

Purple pansies. 

Thank you very much for joining me. 

Bright and frosty Friday morning (Coombe Wood)

A slow and difficult walk - I've done something to my back. Sunlight on the pond - the edges slushy with melting ice. 

 Frosty flower beds. 

The colour combination of these tiny flowers is stunning! 

Good to see some primroses but something else obviously thinks so too and has nibbled some of the petals.

Dead lady's mantle leaf. 

Prairie beds neatly mulched and paths looking smart.

Neat little nest among the magnolia buds. 

Frost sedum seed heads. 

Frosty mahonia flowers. 

Daffodil buds beginning to show their colour

Among the prairie bed paths. 

 Snowdrops.

 New shoots in the sun. 

 Frost crystals.

Colouful reflections in the pond (delivery lorry parked by the railings)

Frosty plants (how do they manage to recover?)

Thank you very much for joining me. 

A sunny Thursday afternoon walk (Coombe Wood)

A lovely bright afternoon and not quite so cold.

Blue sky and clouds reflected in the pond. 

Daffodils emerging. 

Snowdrops

Daphne flowers - what an amazing scent these were producing today.

More snowdrops

Mossy stump

One of the things I like about being so familiar with Coombe Wood is that I recognise plants more often and know what is coming next. This plant is covered in dead leaves at the moment but soon the leaves will fall and bursts of burgundy witch hazel flowers will emerge. I can't remember when and I don't want to miss them so I check on the way past each time I'm there.

Blue sky

Pods or buds? I think they're  buds and there will be lilac coloured flowers that are trumpet shaped. 

The yellow witch hazel is still looking and smelling good.

Furry buds in the sunshine - they look as if they have halos around them.

Tiny red buds lit up by the sun. 

Evidence that the gardener has been at work spreading mulch on the prairie beds.

Red, sunlit leaves trapped in the prongs of the rake.

The gardener returned with a wheelbarrow load of mulch.

The snowdrops among the grass by the path are looking really good but children were running across the grass and treading on them. The gardener kept stopping to ask the children to be careful of the flowers - parents sitting on benches unaware or ignoring what their children were doing.

Euphorbias opening.

I love the zing that lime green against the deep blue sky!

Leaves lit up by the sun. 

Thank you very much for joining me.