Sorry to those of you who expected winter fairy-tale photos. We had three days of snow at the beginning of December. Before and after we've had one storm after the other, and temps have been between 11°C/52°F and 2°C/36°F with a couple of mornings down to 0°C/32°F. This has been one of the warmest December for 100 years. After the three last winters with the huge snowfall in 2011 and the hard, snowless frosts of 2012 and 2013 I'm not sorry actually. Though I could do without the storms... Anyway, I wanted to show you a few photos. Before Christmas we visit my grandparents' and great-grandparents' graves on the island where I grew up. The ferry provided a nice frame for the scenery as we crossed: The few almost-dry days have given us some lovely sunrises and sunsets: Three of our hellebores are blooming. This is the darkest one. A white one and a green one are also blooming but the photos turned out bad so I'll have to post them some other time: My furry friends enjoy the mild weather since they can go outside without their thick winter rugs. They have to wear rain rugs most days, but they're lighter. This is Truls and me, caught in the act of cuddling. Happy New Year to all of you! Now, if I could only manage to resize a nice photo to use for an avatar I'll be happy. No matter what I do the Kb won't co-operate.
Lovely photos of great scenery, but the very best is the snuggles picture. Who enjoys it more, you or Truls?
Great pictures Droopy - love the first one!! I can almost feel Truls' velvety muzzle and would love a cuddle too. What a gorgeous red sky. Mother Nature knows just how to put on a show for us doesn't she? My white Hellebore is starting to flower despite the gales and all the rain we're having.
Thanks mg. I think we both enjoy it as much as the other, but Truls loves to cuddle. We've caught him cuddling the stable cat more than once: Thank you eileen. You're welcome to Truls' muzzle whenever you're in the vicinity. We're happy for any colour during winter, even though morning red means rain's on the way. Do show the hellebore when it's out. I think we've both had our share of gales and rain. The only upside is that the electric bill will be quite low this winter.
Beautiful photos. We too have been having very mild weather this winter. Had a little frost last night but I have been out weeding again today and dividing and moving a few perennials. Seems a little serreal, but will garden when I can since we had a real cold snap/freeze in October/November. Haven't much rain though. Truls is certainly a love bug. What a great personality. Our hellebores are just beginning to form buds. Love seeing yours. They are one of my favorite flowers. Thanks for sharing.
Oh, give Truls a cuddle for me. We were watching the Rose Parade on News Years Day and were tickled to see some Norwegian Fjord horses. Those are beautiful horses.
Thanks Jewell. We had several mild winters in the 90's and most winters have been partially green. I am also gardening a bit, but I'm daylight challenged at the moment. Five hours of it and too much to do. Truls has a lot of personality, which is why I fell for him in the first place. CM, thanks. toni, will do. I'm on my way in now so he'll get his cuddle shortly. The Norwegian Fjord horse breed is threatened, or so they say. There's an extensive breeding program going on. Several of them were exported to the US some years ago, and I've actually seen them in a western film. We've got quite a few of the horses around here. They're easily recognized with that cropped mane.
That cropped mane really catches your attention, but the whole look of them is really unique. I didn't realize they were a threatened, that is just not right!!!!
Wonderful to hear someone has been having good weather Droopy. We are having the coldest winter we have seen for many years. I love the photo taken from the ferry ... something about water is so soothing. Our lake here is frozen solid already. Truls sure is a handsome fellow
toni, we've got three Norwegian horse breeds, and they're all in breeding programs to make certain they'll be around for a long time to come. Thanks Netty. On the day we went to the island there were storms both to the south and to the north of us. I kept worrying we'd be either stuck on the island or getting very seasick coming back. Fortunately the weather stayed calm. Truls is a cutie, but he sometimes lives up to the name our Irish vet calls him by: Trolls.
Thanks Ronnie. I got help with the resizing bit. The Stew's got the most helpful people on the net. cheryl, thank you.
Droopy, Great shot on the ferry. Oh! and of course the sunset and Hellebores are lovely. You and the animals are wonderful also. always love to see what you have to show us.
