On Christmas day I posted a scene from our days living in the Ariège. I felt very nostalgic for the Pyrenees, for snowy peaks silhouetted against clear blue skies, for cold clear air.
Today gave me the chance to remember that our countryside, though so very different, has its own charms and pleasures. We walked from nearby Masham and past the gravel pits of Marfield, now home to water birds of every kind: though only Canada geese and a few proud swans got a look in this morning.
We passed stands of ancient oaks, saw stark lines of skeletal trees marching along the horizon, watched the sky turn from Pyreneen blue to moody grey and purple then back to cheerful blue again. Sheep in late pregnancy cropped the short grass. We stopped to chat with fellow walkers walking off a calorie-laden Christmas. The River Ure was never far away. A pretty good morning’s work, actually.
From Pyrenees to Pennines 
Beautiful, those skeleton trees.
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They were. I love winter trees.
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Lovely, trees are like pen and ink drawings.
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They really are. Not my pen, or my ink, obviously.
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Super walk. We had a winter walk today too
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Great weather for it, wasn’t it?
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I’d been getting very nostalgic for DC winter walks in crisp cold air and sunshine recently. But walking in the West Country, with amazing sunsets has helped!
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Yes, there are some brilliant skies at the moment – with or without the sun.
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I always get nostalgic for places I’ve lived and left–I only remember them at their best moments. Your walk was the perfect antidote, to remind you that your current circumstances are pretty darn wonderful!
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They are. We’re lucky. And it’s not as if we can’t go and visit other favourite places again.
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Beautiful photos, especially the top one. You are making North Yorks look very inviting indeed.
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Good! That’s because it is. I’m hoping 2017 will be the year I get to know your part of the world a little better too, as I visit in quest of my ancestors, who lived in Suffolk for centuries.
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Ah beautiful Suffolk, half of my family comes from Suffolk and my daughter was born in Ipswich Hospital. Actually, I am in the process of trying to move back down to my favourite county after 20 years away!
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Ah. Good luck. Moving house is …. a little daunting.
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This wonderful walk looks like a good antidote to a bought of nostalgia but also to the business that has become Christmas.
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Oh, we avoid The Christmas Business as much as possible. Stripped back to its simplest is so much better as far as we’re concerned. Hope you had a good time!
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Wintry beauty.
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I agree. It must be quite unfamiliar to you!
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Tasmania would be our most similar to the English countryside. My husband once sat beside a very tired looking elderly English lady who was on the last leg of a trip to Tasmania. As they were landing she said “are you sure this is it? It looks just like home.” And indeed flying into Launceston in winter is so much like England, snow on the hills, stone houses, meandering rivers and bare willows. Oh damn now I’m missing it!
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The sky in winter is so beautiful. Happy New Year!
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And to you. Yes, it was a dramatic sky.
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Trying to do a catch-up. Your first photo here is beautiful with the sky and trees reflected in water.
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Thank you. It was great day for light effects.
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And people wonder why the Brits are so obsessed with the weather 😄 It’s never the same for more than an hour at a time! Lovely photos, as always.
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Thank you. Yes, we can do a whole season’s weather in a single afternoon, can’t we?
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