St. Mary’s Church Visit - in the Snow

At last some sunshine to accompany the Snow! Snow on a cloudy day is just not worth photographing, but really comes alive when the sun catches some of the crystals; the sparkle gives the snow form, and life, and this morning was a good time to walk to Marston Moretaine’s parish Church, which is just a smidgeon different from many village churches, the main structure lacks a tower. A short distance away and out of kilter with the church proper stands the buttressed tower, there is a weird myth surrounding this involving the Devil lifting the tower and tossing it away from the body of the building, and thus far, I have seen no real explanation for the odd juxtaposition of the two structures, but my cursory and ill-informed observation would suggest that both appear to be of different ages and style.

The history, or lack thereof does mean that it is very different from the average Parish Church, so merits interest. I decided it was worth capturing whilst it still has a carpet of snow surrounding it, so I took a wander around, sadly some more interesting views would have to await a later afternoon, as several of the views I was able to capture whilst the snow was moderately fresh were not lit to advantage, and having made a single circuit, clouds were massing to remove that vital ingredient sunshine, which was marked by the ringing of my phone bearing a message from one of my daughters.

The Tower appeared to be a meeting point for pigeons and doves, and the graves themselves were severally decorated with Spring flowers, but sadly the frosts and the burden of snow had caused these floral tributes to take on a sad demeanour, but it was definitely apparent from their numbers, that relatives were keen to keep their forebears in mind. One such was a balloon gently swaying to the light breeze with it’s handwritten message of love to a departed grandparent. What I noticed which was a surprise was how several were marked with headstones whose dates were surprisingly recent considering there is a planned new area for graves on the outskirts of the village, which pre-supposed that this cemetery was close to capacity, I therefore concluded that some must be family plots.

It was a brief visit, but I had been waiting for that vital conjoining of snow and sun, and was not disappointed, I also managed yesterday to gather some small expanses of virgin snow in case they could later be used to adorn a future Christmas Card, since for the last few years, snow has been notable for its fleeting appearance in our winters, and I always enjoy using recently captured images.

Sunless Snow – Whipsnade Woods

The snow had stopped falling, but still not even milky sunlight, but with no excuse to stay indoors I ventured out, knowing the challenges of trying capture snow scenes, without some sunshine. The exposures have to be just right to hold the detail in both the darkest and lightest areas, such that afterwards I have the chance to somehow achieve the snow’s whiteness without losing detail of footfalls in the snow, yet at the same time bring out some texture in the blackness of the branches of trees.

Fortunately Lightroom is able to do this for me, but not without considerable effort balancing one control against another, I hope that I have succeeded in the shots I have captured in this gallery. Thinking back on the trip out I realised it took me as long to clear the car of frozen snow as the actual drive out and back, and tonight more snow is forecast, so I will have the same task tomorrow when I need to do some re-provisioning, and the journey involves hills!

Caddington – Non-stop Fine Snow

Snow is wonderful when the sun is shining, it covers much of the ugliness and angularity of a village scene, but without the sunshine, no delineation between sky and horizon, brown, slush-laden main roads and constantly-falling fine damp sleet-like snow, it is somewhat dismal and the devil to capture any detail. This was what somewhat dampens the spirit of the weekend. Had the snowfall abated and the sun shone milkily, the sounds would have been more shrill as families made the most of the days. It would have lightened the gloom and raised spirits and more than made up for the lost working and classroom time, and made the coming of Monday more bearable.

I did find that the few who did venture forth were generally cheerful, and acknowledged my presence in the main, but certainly to several of the men I encountered I was invisible, they never so much as lifted their heads as they passed me by, alone in their own unsmiling worlds trudging begrudgingly by with no care for others’ company. I am sure the sight of the sun would have lifted their heads and their spirits.

So the pictures from that afternoon stroll are to capture some of the brighter signs and some of the shapes and colours to be found when you look around.

TGB Treecare comes to Caddington – despite the Weather!

I know that TGB stands for TG Buxton, but watching from the warmth of my house, I reckon the initials should stand for either ‘Thoroughly Great Bloke’ or ‘Truly Great Bravery’! To start climbing trees in sub-zero temperatures with the snow actually falling can be considered beyond the call of duty, but here is a series of shots of the man at work. There was the obligatory tea-break midway through, but anyone begrudging a man for that should be tried for War Crimes!

The work was carried out with precision and thoughtfulness, fully justifying the terms ‘surgery’ and ‘care’, and without any unnecessary bravado. At the size the images will be viewed the sleetlike snow, falling constantly, is not apparent, but I can bear witness to that – this man earned every penny for his morning’s work.

Snow and Village Life

Snow came to Caddington once again, overnight Thursday, and Friday dawned into bright sunlight. At first the sky was a dome of clear blue from horizon to horizon, the villagers were slow to venture out, but with camera and a second lens, I wandered around to capture the activity.

Several school-age children soon realised that this worth getting out of bed for. However to their evident dismay, this was ‘the wrong type of snow’ since it would not stick together, so snowballing and igloo-building was doomed to failure, but kick it and it makes a fine display!
It was a time for the very young to be towed on sleds by parents doing the morning shopping, or in one case (though sadly after I had put the camera away!) for some bright spark to ‘borrow’ Gran’s mobility scooter to tow a kid along the pavement at a much slicker, and effortless pace!

Dogs were walked, babies prammed, and toddlers swung, and smiles infected everyone, there was definitely a holiday spirit abroad. However, clouds began to form, and soon the sun began to be veiled, but before it disappeared totally, I did manage to capture some of the interplay of light and shade on snow-covered cars in the local garage, a lone starling singing from atop my own kitchen chimney cowl, a red letterbox with its ‘arm’ of snow, and a few examples of how snow can transform a mundane scene into something more magical.

But now it is Sunday morning, and as I write this, I have learned that what I believed was my boiler failing again, and my home telephone choosing to go on the blink, was in fact a village-wide calamity. Amazingly, an emergency committee has sprung into action, and volunteers are distributing small electric hotplates and heaters, from the Community Centre to anyone in need, and others are paying visits to the local elderly. The Gas supply will be out for the next few days, and we all need to turn off at the mains.

Snow has brought a sense of community in so many ways.

Snow out at Tea Green and Lilley

On the Friday, I had planned some Photoshop training for someone in Windsor, and was nervous over getting there on time so stayed in Burnham the night before, and was fortunate that the trip over was uneventful. However, overnight in Luton there had been a heavy snowfall yet again, so on my return, I realised how fortunate I had been. On the Saturday, out came the sun, so I invited my next door neighbour, Brenda to join me for a trip to Tea Green and Lilley.

The low sun cast long shadows which brought out the texture in the snow and accentuated the skipping steps of birds across the surface. So I now have a number of background textures to add to my collection. I also liked the effect of snow on some white palisades, some frozen splashes near an island in a small frozen pond, and lastly the sweeping ribbon of tarmac in a wintry landscape.

Snowfall Overnight, now Mist, but Life Goes on

The snow that had fallen before had packed down to ice, but as night closed in a thaw set in making it possible to clear the front path (almost!) As I looked out late in the evening the snow was falling thinly, so I did not expect the amount that greeted me this morning.

With it came the mist and then rain, but seeing that the people were making it to the shops I thought I'd capture some of the atmosphere, so here are a few shots of smiling faces in some cases, of kids in a group once more throwing snowballs amongst themselves, people walking their dogs, going shopping and someone with a Quadbike off to do some snowboarding. Despite the economic climate, the snow still brings smiles, and life goes on…

Out in the Snow, and Sunshine!

On this the second day of snow, much has melted and more schools are open, so fewer children out playing.

I set out rather late as I had built a sofa from snow just outside the house – the 'Snowfa' proved to be quite a hit with some of those passing this morning, and I saw some parents taking photos of their children sat upon it, before setting off; making all the effort worthwhile.

I headed for the Lower Luton Road and beyond, and found an igloo being built on the green at Peters Green, but less fortunate was a car which had skidded off the road just beyond the village. I thought I'd climb the bank to get more height and found the 'bank' was in fact simply piled snow some two feet deep!

The silos at Woodside and Claggy Bottom Cottage I took to add to earlier shots taken at different seasons. I met walkers which helped to give scale to landscapes, and I was fascinated by the stalactites at a flooded stretch of road. I soon ran out of sun, due to my late start.

Snow Comes to Caddington Again

There may be no sun, but with most schools closed and parents not going in to work, it's suddenly a fun day on the Green in Caddington with such a snowfall.

Two local families in particular have brought sleds out and make the most of the opportunity, and so do I.

Next stop Stockwood Park Golf Course, noted for its sleigh ride and toboggan runs down the slope near Slip End.

Hopefully with a forecast for further precipitation overnight and sunshine, there will be better opportunities tomorrow, but in the present economic climate, the chance for enjoyment is not to be missed, whether the sun shines or not, and I was there to capture it.

Snow at Luton Hoo

Opening the curtains to a snow laden scene was quite a surprise this morning, especially since it was still flurrying down. All I wanted was for the sun to come out, and as I breakfasted, my wish was coming true. I made sure the camera gear was ready and was soon on my way to visit the Luton Hoo Estate and see whether there was anything attractive to photograph.

As I entered the long avenue, I spotted a car in the first of the passing places, and later spotted that someone was of the same mind as me, but he was leaving having taken some shots of the derelict building alongside the avenue. I called into the Estate Office and wished everyone a Happy New Year and then hailed Alex Hines to check that she was happy for me to wander around and take pictures. I was later able to capture her hard at work with the small truck moving hay from the stables.

Snow has the ability to beautify dereliction, especially when the sun is out, and I hope I have captured images that prove the point. I have tried to shoot some of the plants with the buildings beyond so that the location is obvious. Tracks in the snow also have a fascination, as do the patterns formed by the underlying tiles on rooftops. I enjoyed the time, I hope it comes across in the shots I have chosen for the gallery.

Anyone any idea how tyre tracks can simply come to an end without the presence of the vehicle making them?

Snow

Tuesday's weather forecast clearly stated that wintry showers were likely in the Chilterns, especially on higher ground, but that it would not settle. In this area they got it wrong, it gently settled and being very wet it stuck well and my pampas grass bowed down reverently by way of acknowledgment. It was nightfall before coverage was good. However, I did try capturing the effects in darkness with and without the assistance of flash.

Wednesday morning was bright and crisp, and I had set my alarm for a slightly earlier start, first wakening in lightening darkness and glanced at the alarm: it read 5 o'clock, so I closed my eyes and decided I would get the extra sleep. The next time I came to it was very bright and so I took another look at the clock, the alarm was still set, but it still read 5! Confirmation that my clock battery had failed came when I looked at the computer – it read 10.10!

All was not bad news, the view through the window showed snow barely melting. A few Grape Nuts and milk down to simulate breakfast and I gathered a few flash card, a camera and two lenses and I was on my way towards Peters Green via East Hyde where I stopped for a quick few shots across the dip and showing the melting snow on the distant hillside with long winter shadows of the trees.

In Peters Green the snow was still pristine, with streaming oblique sunlight giving a beautiful crispness to the snow with strong backlighting to leaves. I spent some time here, finally attracting the curious attention of a young lad home from School half-term, who asked what I was doing. He seemed satisfied by my reply that I was taking beautiful pictures! Before driving off, I knocked on the door and showed him a few images on the camera review screen, and he concurred they were good.

Although I took a few more images, before returning to process them, it was amongst these I felt I may have captured this year's Christmas card.