Saturday 1 December 2012

December

As the December sunlight filters through the bare trees I am reminded of the ephemeral nature of the seasons. Two weeks ago these majestic trees were clad in their glowing golden mantle. 
Now they hibernate, naked to the elements until they re-awaken from their slumbers in the spring.
The mid-day winter sun gives the smaller scrub branches an ethereal quality
A glimpse of the village in the valley through the trees

52 comments:

  1. Hello Rosemary, Magnificent photos, as usual. I love when you can see the rolling terrain of the woods through the trees.

    Another advantage of leafless winter trees is that it is a good time to take pictures of buildings, when the leaves don't block the view.
    --Road to Parnassus

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    1. Thanks Jim - I could not believe how quickly the trees had altered during my last two visits. That is one advantage of our little digital cameras, I believe that they make us much more aware of the passing seasons.

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  2. The trees really look like they were planted from outer space..
    Great photos Rosemary. It is amazing how quickly the foliage falls and the trees look so different.
    I simply love your round.. how clever ..pick monkey.
    wishing you a wonderful Saturday 1st of December.
    Thanking you for all your support and kind comments on my posts..
    You give me encouragement.
    xx val

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    1. Dear Val - you are right about them looking as if they were planted from outer space. They are extraordinary trees, so tall and majestic and growing all the way up the side of the escarpment. I think that they must be a least a couple of hundred years old.
      I have just looked back over our exchanges and I think that we have now been sharing comments for nearly a year - I feel as if I have known you for much longer, and that we are now 'old friends'.

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  3. It is amazing isn't it, the way trees are magnificent regardless of the season. The trees behind my house are now revealing the crows nests that I watched being built and reinforced last spring. They have been invisible for so many months, but now the leaves have gone I am enjoying seeing them again. Yes.... winter has a lot going for it ! Thanks for sharing these beautiful photos. Janice x

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    1. Dear Janice - I do love the warmth, but appreciate the changes that the different seasons bring.
      Blogging seems to heighten our awareness of our surroundings so much. It does not seem so long ago that we first connected with one another - I seem to remember it was a Spring posting - I did a walk along our canal and then you kindly followed up with one along your canal. Now we are into Winter, but next Spring will be soon be beckoning again once the Christmas festivities are over.
      Hope things are going well with you Janice♥

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  4. These are amazing pictures of nature. The trees look so majestic even bare. Have a wonderful weekend,

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    1. These Beech trees are, as you say majestic, they are wonderful during all of the seasons. May be, if we have snow, I shall have to visit them again.

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  5. Beautiful, Beautiful, Rosemary. I love trees almost as much as I love flowers. Your photographs are exceptional, a feast for the eyes. Thank You. Have a wonderful weekend. ox, Gina

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    1. Dear Gina - I can't imagine life without trees, to me they adorn the landscape and make it complete. I do not know how old these are but they reach forever up into the sky. I am late replying - Christmas jobs are beckoning.

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  6. Very nice, Rosemary. You've proven that trees can be beautiful any time of year. Have a nice weekend.

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    1. Thanks Marie - next time I show them - may be snow!!!

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  7. Hello Rosemary a wonderful selection of nude nature photos which just goes to show that the skeletal forms of majestic trees can be every bit as interesting in their winter slumber.
    Congratulations on winning our Christmas candle giveaway. I will pop your prize in the post next week. Tara for now.

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    1. Thank you Paul - I cannot believe that I was one of the winners. I will let you have my address.
      Someone has asked me to show the trees in the snow - I wonder if we will have any?

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  8. Lovely photos, Rosemary. I agree with you that the one that reveals the scrub brushes is very etherial, and the one curved tree in the foreground helps to create a wonderful composition — beautiful!

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    1. Dear Mark - these trees grow just below where I live, there is a small road through them leading to some cottages built in the side of the escarpment. Wandering along the road the trees tower over you.

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  9. Hallo Rosemary,great photos as usual!!Winter has arrive in our country too!!Wishing you a lovely weekend-December month my dear!
    Dimi..

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    1. Thank you Dimi - wishing you a lovely December month too, and what a glorious Christmas season avatar you have.

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  10. Your photographs have left me speechless, they are stunning and the effect of the branches on the first one is incredible. Thank you for showing us the beauty of these trees.
    Sarah x

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    1. Thank you Sarah for your very generous comment. The first photo I did on picmonkey - have you given it a try, it is free to use.
      Glad you enjoyed seeing the trees that grow just below where I live.

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  11. Lovely photos as always. I do miss the deciduous trees of the U.K. most of ours are evergreen here.

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    1. Dear Susan - I can understand what you mean about missing the deciduous trees. Of course evergreens stay just that all year long whereas these trees alter so much during the year. Next visit, may be snow on them, followed by the new bright green buds of the spring.

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  12. Wonderful photos, Rosemary! You have captured the magnificence of autumn... it is a beautiful time of year, despite the cold :-)

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    1. It certainly is fresh at the moment, but gloriously sunny with blue skies. Spring is not too far away - the first snowdrops should be showing in a few weeks.

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  13. Hi Rosemary,

    It has been hard for me to comment lately because I didn't have access to internet. We were in the Caribbean for two weeks. You asked if we were in Miami now. That was about 2,5 weeks ago. We will be back in Miami on 7 and 15 December.

    Greetings,
    Filip

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    1. Dear Filip - thanks for letting me know that. I am never too sure whether you are showing old photos or are actually still away. What a fun packed time you both spend, travelling and dancing. You may be interested to know that my granddaughter does ballroom dancing at Oxford University. She is captain of dancing for the university.

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  14. These are the trees which I would like to dance under them ! They are different without leaves but so beautiful !I remind to you your promise .... if you can ,you will take photos with snow !Ι think that they must very old !Amazing photos !
    Have a nice month !
    Olympia

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    1. I have not forgotten about the promise if it snows. We do not get snow every year but if it does I will make a special effort to take some photos to show you. Glad you enjoyed seeing the photos and thank you Olympia.

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  15. Dear Rosemary
    Your photos are stunning as always.. At the end of autumn, we are harshly reminded of the transient life but the bare trees have their own beauty. It’s winter when trees can show off their barks of trunk and branches proudly.

    Yoko

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    1. Dear Yoko - it is surprising how quickly all of these different stages happen in nature, almost imperceptibly, but our little cameras help us to capture it forever. Glad you enjoyed the photos.

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  16. The trees do look so lovely.
    Loved the tale regarding your mother in law :)

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    1. Thank you very much on both counts. Glad you enjoyed the tales about MiL and the photos of the trees.

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  17. Gorgeous pictures Rosemary! Thanks for sharing. It's a rather beautiful but cold day here as well. The perfect day to go for a walk really but my body aches all over so that's a no go today. Overdid myself again yeserday I'm afraid, so now I have to pay for that, own fault. Luckily there's blogland to stroll then ;-)
    Bye,
    Marian

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    1. I wonder what you were up to yesterday? Loved your photos from tulip-land - enjoy your strolling through blogland.

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  18. Wonderful photos, Rosemary, beautifully capturing the change of the seasons. I enjoyed this.

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    1. Thank you Perpetua - I wonder if I shall be capturing the trees in the snow, or whether it will chose to give us a miss this year?

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  19. Yes, a week or two can make such a difference - especially the passage from autumn to winter! Great photos and a very creative post! Christa

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    1. It will be no time at all Christa before the small green buds will be appearing again.

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  20. So typical of you, Rosemary, to see the beauty in everything! I must admit I'm already looking out for tiny buds and shoots, signs of next year's Spring.

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    1. If the truth be known Nilly, so am I. Winter is not my favourite time, but you appreciate the coming spring all the more. 6 - 7 weeks and the snowdrops will be appearing.

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  21. Dear Rosemary,
    Beautiful trees in Autumn and Winter. Look forward to seeing them in Spring. Lovely photos.

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    1. Dear Betty - I must take a walk in those woods in the Spring, but may be, if we have snow, I shall visit before then earlier!!!

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  22. These are really amazing photos and a good showcase of 'here today and gone tomorrow'. I love how you captured the play of light and shadow on the trunks.

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    1. I was just lucky - being there at the right time - the midday sunlight was wonderful.

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  23. Happy December Rosemary! I love all the long-limbed, leafless tree shots you have posted. Giving me shivers of cold :) Nice effect on your first photo and your choice to go black and white.

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    1. Dear Rosemary - hope December is good to you, and that you are successful in all of your endeavours towards Christmas celebration.
      I love these trees which are just a short walk from our home, the next shots - in the snow may be!!!

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    1. The trees are so grand and the sun was shinning so I really could not go wrong Olive - thank you.

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  25. Beautiful, and so different from the trees around Pondside.

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    1. Now I am wondering what your trees are like. Perhaps you could show us sometime?

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  26. very relaxing walk in the woods, thanks for this:-))

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    1. Glad you could join me in the woods today.

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“You can't stay in your corner of the forest waiting for others to come to you - you have to go to them sometimes”

― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh