Trees in winter

We have been back in the U.K. for a week now, it is cold, it has been mostly very grey and this has made me think of the range of weather and temperatures we have experienced this winter - and winter is by no means over yet.

I took this photograph in December when the whole country was at a standstill, gripped by (what felt to us) Arctic weather. On that particular day Ken and I went for a walk to Old Milverton and on to the Saxon Mill. It was snowing, it was grey, hazy, dark and it felt threatening.

The next day the sun was out, it was very bright. We did the same walk and it all felt so very different. We saw this tree in the beginning of our walk and the red berries sitting next to the snow with the blue sky as background looked beautiful.

The pond just before you reach the weir by Saxon Mill was frozen,  it all looked so beautiful,

magical almost

 

I love the stark outline of trees in winter against the blue of the sky

 

and the gold of the few remaining leaves.

This on the other hand is the minosa we planted in Maria's garden in Kalamaki.  When our apartment block was being built 4 years ago, the developer asked Maria if he could cut another of her pine trees and she said no to the second one.  A few months later when that tree proved to be a real problem for us I asked Maria and this time she very kindly said yes. I promised we would plant another tree for her which we did. Every year it doubles in size and it has given Maria and us, a great deal of pleasure.

This flowering almond tree is in Manthos' garden, three doors down from us and it is tiny even if its flowers are not

This lemon tree is in a garden opposite our neighbourhood bakery so I look at it every morning on my way for fresh bread and rolls

 

We saw a whole row of these orange trees lining a pavement in Glyfada one day when Tatiana and I went for our weekly retail therapy and lunch expedition. Tatiana was trying to find something to photograph for the daily Glyfada blog which she writes as part of her job and I was enjoying the sunshine and trying to help her look for things to photograph and write about.