Celia Hart's blog about what's going on in and around her studio.
Art, printmaking, inspirations, gardening, vegetables, hens, landscapes, wild flowers, East Anglia, adventure, travel.

Wednesday 12 December 2012

Frost after fog + sunshine = magic

This week began grey and foggy, what few hours of daylight we get at this time of year was filtered through a double layer of dirty 'nets'. Yesterday I went for a walk with friends before having lunch in the local pub, we walked over fields frozen solid and dusted with frost – like icing sugar on a giant chocolate log cake.


In the evening I had to drive over the border into Cambridgeshire, along dark winding lanes; visibility was about 20 metres and the car warning message continuously flashed to remind me of "danger of ice" . . . it was -3C. On the way home I sensed that something strange was happening, in places the fog was becoming thinner and the trees seemed different . . . white and glittery!


This morning the fog had completely gone! Overnight all the tiny droplets of water in the air had formed ice crystals attached to every twig and leaf . . . this was a opportunity not to be missed, after breakfast I went out for a walk with my camera.

I crossed the road opposite my studio and walked down the path behind behind the village church . . .


. . . and emerged into a magical glittering ice-crystal world . . .












As I returned along the field edges I heard a strange sound – the crackling, splintering, tinkling sound of ice crystals falling from the branches high above.


The winter sun's warmth was enough to melt the crystals and they fell like snow all around me, onto the frozen ground.


Celia
x

27 comments:

  1. Nothing is more beautiful than the magical look of hoarfrost. Thanks for sharing your stunning photos. : )

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  2. Stunning! Love the color palate that happens with ice.
    --Terry at HenCam where it is muddy, not icy

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  3. Yes - really beautiful photos of a lovely part of the world. x G

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  4. Beautiful! Frost really highlights the structure of plants.

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  5. Great pics! You've captured some fine scenes.

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  6. It was like that here too, so I also went out with my camera this morning and had two encounters with Robins, that was magical, they let me photograph them and one was even singing at the time.

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  7. Beautiful images - they remind me of emerging from the wardrobe into Narnia.

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  8. Oh how I envy you this wonderful opportunity to enjoy the natural beauty! Two days in a row I have gazed out of the car window, on my way to work, and wished I could stop and spend the day walking and looking and taking photographs of frosted seedheads etc. Last year I saw tiny pieces of frost falling from tree branches and twinkling all the way down. I'm 50 and I'd never seen that before.
    Beautiful photographs, thank you for sharing.

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  9. That is hoarfrost? I am so thrilled to know, it must have been very special to walk through that and hear the ice break up, to see all that winter beauty.

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  10. Thank you for capturing so beautifully what I witnessed from a speeding train this morning. Frost on seed heads, laced cobwebs - pure wonderment!

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  11. Hoar frost sculpture at its best on that one seed head! Your suffolk frost was thicker than our Essex frost although I still had to avoid it falling from the trees on my way home.

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  12. A perfect photo opportunity - everything looks sooo beautiful when dusted with frost - I too was clicking away like a person possessed.

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  13. How delicately the ice sculpts! Beautiful shots :)

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  14. It was the most glorious of days. It didn't really thaw that much here in The Smoke so I opted out and stayed snug indoors x

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  15. Celia, you've given me a lovely opportunity to learn what hoarfrost actually is. I guess that I have seen it with my own eyes without knowing its actual name.

    I'm thinking that your frosty linear landscape views might just inspire some beautiful new prints!

    xo

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  16. Didn't it look so beautiful. Your photos capture it perfectly.

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  17. I feel as if I've been walking with the Snow Queen.

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  18. On Wednesday I drove from Harleston to Scarborough. It was -2 all the way, and I wished I had time to stop and take photographs. It was as beautiful as you describe, All The Way. Every time we rounded a bend or crested a hill we just couldn't believe that the view was even better than the previous one. Scarborough let us down...it was cold, damp and grey

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  19. You do know, don't you, that this is balm for my parched epidermis!Thank you

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  20. Wasn't it wonderful?! It was like that in North Wales too but I didn't get so many great pictures as you. I adore a good hoar frost :D

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  21. Wasn't it just magical Celia, a true Winter's day. Your photos are beautiful.

    Just in case I don't get a chance to visit Blogland again in the next few days, a very Merry Christmas to you and yours.

    Jeanne
    xox

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  22. Just perfect. I love frost and we have had some magical days up here on the hill but I didn't get such fabulous photos, or indeed anything much! Must get a grip!

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  23. What a fantastic day for photography! Wonderful pictures!

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  24. You've captured some magical moments here! So fortunate you had your camera along. Thanks for sharing the magic. Cheers!

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  25. After all the rain we have had recently it has been wonderful to look at all your beautiful icy photographs.

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