The trees on the hill

It was a glorious day, clear, bright and crisp, with the remains of a heavy frost in all the shadows when I went out towards midday. Days of freezing temperatures have left the ground hard underfoot, so I took the opportunity to walk over the hill; recently the area around the stile to access the footpath across the hilltop meadow has been covered in such deep, wet mud that I've not been prepared to paddle through it even in boots. Today it was firm, and in the shady areas the thickly encrusted frost crystals on dry leaves and blades of grass had probably not thawed for days. I took a huge number of photos, landscapes, trees and paths, details of wood, lichen and frosty leaves, and enjoyed it hugely, but returned home with far more images than I have time to sort, select, edit and share. 

J had a nice day too, with S providing expert massage and helping her start a watercolour painting of her little cat Millie sitting on her lap. P baked his excellent savoury scones for breakfast: my frequent Friday treat, once J is settled with S, is to take time to enjoy his breakfast bakes in luxurious solitude, accompanied by good coffee and the view of the valley. My walk left me positive enough to tackle some energetic and overdue cleaning after lunch.

It's been hard to decide which photos to share. These are two more for my collection documenting the trees on the hill. I like the light, colours and textures, and although I've blipped several other versions of these sculptural uprooted remains, this is probably one of the best lit. The second extra is the view down across the Exted valley in the sunshine.