A Mist Makes Things Wonderful

It's not been a particularly inspiring few week weather wise.  I like winter, but even I have struggled to muster any enthusiasm about the relentless damp, cold and flat white skies that have greeted me most mornings recently.  So imagine my excitement when the mist descended!  This blog title is a quote from Oscar Wilde and I couldn't agree more.

I like drama in my weather.  For example, I can cope with a little wind and rain (coming home is even more welcoming after getting rained on).  I love the blinding light and beauty of a covering of virgin snow or glittering hoar frost on the landscape.  Incidentally, check out this little video taken in between blogs after one such frost.  I've never experienced a thaw like it - shards of ice falling from the trees.

https://www.tiktok.com/@winter_peach_photography/video/7191540452401761541

As for mist, it's really what many people associate with the UK - a patchwork quilt of a miniaturised landscape covered by a blanket of visibility compromising moisture.  It exemplifies our reliably unreliable climate and adds mystery and intrigue worthy of a tale from Arthur Conan Doyle.

I'll go with the mystery theme for reasons which will become apparent.  We headed out into the mist for a 5 mile walk through an ever changing landscape, starting with a cluster of silver birch trees.  I was later thrilled that this image was selected and featured on the Instagram account Capturing Britain.

We were joined for some of the route by a very vocal Robin.  I thought he was being friendly, but knowing how territorial they can be, I suspect he was warning us to keep moving.

The gnarled branches of the naked trees contrasted beautifully with the mist pervading the atmosphere.

Further along we encountered a crop of the tallest pine trees, criss-crossed by mountain bike tracks.  Here I insisted Gareth pose.  He's still at the breaking in stage with his DMs, hence the loosened laces.

We climbed 121 steps...

....and arrived on top of a hill, spotting this rather intriguing house in the distance...

....before picking up our original route and descending a densely wooded hillside.  It was here that we encountered this once inhabited building carved into the sandstone.  It's clear that work is ongoing to make it safe for visitors.

Feeling emboldened by this, we continued.  No one knows when these caves were first inhabited, but they remained so until the 1950s when the properties were condemned by the local authority and the occupiers forced to leave.

The area just beyond looked very Hobbiton, apart from the sandstone carvings...

...and graffiti.  

We're the more respectful rule breakers.  Clearly this place is an open secret locally.  Hopefully one day it will be open to the public and afforded the protection it deserves.

Back at home, the hyacinths have flowered and the fragrance is off the charts.

I wonder if Marg smells the same?

I've made a few acquisitions, some old, some new (more on those soon).  When buying new I always focus on quality, durability and timelessness, not wishing to contribute to the ever increasing clothes mountain.  Having called into a local supermarket the other day, I was horrified at the amount of clothing on sale.  Even worse, the ridiculously crammed sale rails - even as we near the end of January.  Aren't manufacturers getting the message?  They are clearly over-producing.  There can't possibly be the demand to justify this level of production.  It's obscene. 

My "old" is probably not so old, but a black and white jacket I know I will wear and wear again.  Here, in my usual hurried selfie, I've teamed it with some black cord dungarees (old) over a black and white spotted thermal polo neck (second hand), a vintage tribal necklace and recycled cashmere gloves.  Slippers just out of shot.  Note to self:  I must really work on my outfit photos.

This weekend was the UK's Big Garden Birdwatch.  I layered up and headed out into the garden with a de-caf coffee, the camera and a notebook, for an hour's solitude.  The temperature was around 5 degrees, but the damp conditions made it feel a good deal colder.  I did smile to myself when I wondered what my 18 year old self would have thought of this decision.  She probably wouldn't have been up and available for comment.

Last year the conditions were pretty similar, but I saw very little bird activity.  This year, the garden was alive with birdsong, principally from the resident Robins.  

I also counted more birds this time, including a brief sighting of a Song Thrush and an even briefer glimpse of a bird I've been unable to identify as a result.

Blue Tit

  

Robin

House Sparrow

Male Blackbird

The remainder of my week has been dominated by a little mother/daughter trip booking, mood boards, phone calls, admin and light reflectors!  The styles for my forthcoming photo shoots are quite different from each other.  The first is very romantic and Nordic in style.  For the second, David Bowie is my muse.

In an effort to inspire and spur myself on, I'll leave you with the latter; this image and quote, firmly and metaphorically pinned to my mood board.

I'm off to watch the remainder of the truly brilliant but bizarre Everything, Everywhere, All at Once (currently free with Amazon Prime) and the penultimate episode of the gripping Happy Valley.  Until next time!

Waterworld

For a typically weather obsessed Brit, I think I can safely say that January appears to have traded places with one of the zodiac's water signs.  There has been a lot of wet stuff about.  Being, as we are, located in the West Midlands regions of the UK and just a hop, skip and a jump from the Welsh border, our regions riverside towns such as Bewdley and Ironbridge, are often severely impacted by rain washing down off the Welsh hills which serves to compound any localised flooding.

It was 11 months ago, when the River Severn last flooded and breached its barriers, as recorded here in my little poetic offering.  Winter Peach Photography: Storms

This time, the barriers held...just.  This was the scene as we approached the town of Bewdley - on foot, as the road in was closed.  The dog in the foreground was perplexed by all of the interest in his home town.  He had his orange ball and all was well in his world.

In town, the community's unease was palpable.

Preparing for worst case scenario, the Environment Agency was in town, raising the flood barriers to their maximum height.

I wasn't wholly surprised to run into local drone photographers Simon and Joanna (our first time meeting in the flesh, although we all pretty much instantly recognised each other).  Simon captured the swollen River Severn and the awesome power of nature in dramatic fashion from above.  You can view it here.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CnZ2_MKBihe/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Not so longer this kind of event was labelled a "once in a generation" occurrence.  We don't hear that phrase any more.

Arley, just a few miles down river, had also been affected.  We spoke to a man who had, for the majority of his life, only recalled two such severe floods decades apart in the 1940s and 1960s.  We visited both towns two days running.  Here's the little bridge at Arley on day 1.

And the same bridge from the other side on day 2, completely submerged.

Bewdley on day 2 was much the same...

...the water pumps working overtime.

Mercifully, the flood waters did not breach the barriers, leaving the Environment Agency somewhat red faced after their minute by minute predictions failed to come to fruition.  Many frustrated residents had adopted their emergency plans and either evacuated or moved household contents to upper floors.  Still a relief for all, I'm sure.

Our wonderings also took us to a never-before-visited Nature Reserve.  After dropping our car off for its MOT, we walked back via Fens Pool Nature Reserve, situated in the Pensnett area of the West Midlands.  Once forming part of Pensnett Chase, a medieval hunting ground for the Barons of Dudley, it gradually became industrialised and was used for coal mining, clay extraction and a one time brickworks.  

In addition, part of the Earl of Dudley's private railways ran across the area.  By the 1960s, the area had served its purpose; the colliery waste ground reverting to grassland and the clay pits flooded and turned into ponds.  

Opened as a nature reserve in the early 1990s, it now forms the largest area of open water in Dudley Metropolitan Borough.

Heading onto the Stourbridge canal (opened in 1779), we were greeted by familiar towpath scenes - urban artwork/graffiti...

....Brockmoor Foundary, semi obscured by nature...

...a solitary hunting heron...

....urban alleyways....

...and remnants of our industrial heritage and world renowned glass making (the Red House Glass Cone, just beyond the lock keeper's cottage).

Another day, another adventure.  Except this wasn't just any day, but Gareth's 50th Birthday.  Every year I endure 5 days of Gareth celebrating his "toy boy" status, so forgive me if I am now seem to be labouring the fact that he has notched up half a century.  Gareth doesn't do social media (and I rarely use it other than for business), so it's always interesting and enlightening to say the least to see who actually remembers and sends something tangible like a birthday card, or picks up the phone these days don't you think?  This particularly thoughtful card dropped through the letter box from Vix and Jon.  It's a keeper.

We headed out to Attingham Park, the Shropshire National Trust property beloved by fellow bloggers Vix and Ann.  

The sky was blue and the sun was shining upon arrival.  I was layered up like the Michelin Man and felt nothing as a result.  In fact, you could have rolled me down a bank and into the river and I would most likely have floated along the river quite contentedly.

The house was closed so we headed to the Carriage House Cafe for a lunch of honeyed swede soup and cauliflower and cumin fritters (for once I photographed my food - the fritters were delicious!) 

Refuelled, we headed out to the 18th century estate kitchen garden.  This couple were angled towards the sun, dosing up on vitamin D.

Inside, I was drawn to the wild garden, a haven for wildlife.

Just look at these beautiful seed heads.

Jobs for January.

We found a particularly warm and sunny corner of the garden.  Look at the nails, screws, holes and rawl plugs in this wall.  It's lived a life!

I asked Gareth to give me a 50th Birthday pose.  Just to demonstrate that his punk spirit is still alive and kicking, this was his choice.  More Johnny Cash than "blue steel pose."  In reality, I'm not sure how "punk" you can get in the grounds of an 18th century manor house.

Weaving back along the still swollen river, I grabbed a couple of pleasing vista shots...

...and tried in vain to photograph a falcon in a tree.  The beady eyed bird, despite being safely perched on a branch 15 feet up in the air, still refused to allow me to get anywhere near it, flying from tree to tree until eventually I gave up.

The dying light was exquisite, but with little warning, dark clouds gathered and the sun retreated behind a veil of white cloud.

Soon, it was raining steadily and so we retreated to the safety and relative warmth of the second hand book shop, where I picked up a couple of page turners....

....before exiting through the stables and back out into the courtyard.

Inspired by the lantern glow, we lit a candle that night, trying to add a little of that 18th century rich living vibe to our humble abode.  The smoke was courtesy of an incense stick, in case you're wondering.

Hope you're all keeping warm and dry.  If the winter gloom is getting you down, feast your eyes on these little snowdrops poking through.  Spring is coming.

50 Shades of Grey

Happy New Year!  2023 has started, like all other years, with false promises, fireworks and exuberance, followed by the slow realisation that January seemingly lasts forever.  January is the greyest of months (aside from Blue Monday).  The gloom is real.

OK, I'm exaggerating a little.  Our birthdays fall in January - 5 days apart - so cake and presents provide a welcome boost.

This year is a landmark birthday.  Having been knocking around for half a century, do I feel any wiser?  Perhaps.  Judge for yourselves.  I woke up 2 days before my birthday and decided that what needed to happen that day, was for me to have my hair cut into a "shag" - a follicular return to the decade of my birth.

One impulsive phone call and 2 hours later, ta-da!  Nice and wavy in this photo.  It won't last.  Hopefully not a case of act in haste, repent at leisure.

The hope is that my unruly hair with its tendency to frizz, will respond more positively to this cut with its movement and texture.  My hair has always occupied the awkward middle ground between my Mom's poker straight hair and my Dad's (and paternal grandmother's) naturally wavy hair.  A little insight.  I have a section of hair, hidden from view, that looks just like corrugated iron when first washed.

Anyway, off the top of my head, here are 50 things I've learned (I'm sure there are more, but I'm at that tricky age and the memory isn't what it once was):-

1.  If everyone secretly pocketed a piece of Hadrian's Wall at the age of 5, where would we be?

2.  Camping sorts out problem sleep.

3.  No matter how hard I try, I will never like olives, or Sting.

4.  Work smart.

5.  Be a good listener.

6.  Smiling opens doors.

7.  Respect should be earned, not demanded.

8.  Drink more water.

9.  Don't expect too much from others.  Humans are fundamentally flawed.

10. Don't wash your hair too often.

11.  Walking in fresh air - rain or shine - is a great leveller.

12.  Parenting is hard.

13.  Take care of your spine.  Try not to sit down for longer than 20 minutes.  Ice not heat packs for injury.

14.  Friendships are possible at any stage in life and no less valuable the later they are formed.

15.  People aren't all good or all bad, but they are often surprising.

16.  I often prefer the company of animals to humans.

17.  I am a mass of contradictions.

18.  Dogs love you no matter what.  Cats however, prefer to keep you on your toes with unpredictable behaviour, an obsession with boxes, stealing your body heat and frequently thinking about killing you.  

19.  Time goes faster the older you get.

20.  Ignore fashion rules, but don't ignore your instincts.

21.  We all turn into our parents.

22.  Be curious.

23.  Books are like little worlds we can inhabit for a time.

24.  Sulking is futile and a little dull.  Let it out; air your grievances, but try to be kind.

25.  Don't underestimate a quality pillow.

26.  Our islands are beautiful.  Our leaders are not.

27.  Politics isn't a calling, but a career option.

28.  Our personalities and tastes are always evolving.

29.  Poetry is a wonderful form of creative expression and there really is something for everyone.

30.  Paranormal activity is real.

31.  Graveyards are endlessly fascinating.  

32.  Appreciate and embrace patina.

33.  We never learn from history, but it's important to keep trying.

34.  Take vitamin D from April to October.

35.  Brushing teeth and gums at night, as well as being hygienic, reduces your risk of heart disease.

36.  Always have lemons and garlic in store.

37.  Cherries are good for the pancreas.

38.  I much prefer geeks and weirdos.

39.  Don't discuss or make a god of money.  Don't be a bore!

40.  There is always an element of luck in success.

41.  Be frugal with advice and generous with your time. 

42.  People are generally rubbish at keeping secrets, so if you wear your heart on your sleeve, do so with eyes wide open.

43.  Make room in your life for the people who make you laugh.

44.  Be creative...find your thing.  It helps keep you sane.

45.  Be bold and say "yes" more often.

46.  The thrill of discovering am amazing second hand bargain or vintage find, surpasses any other short lived shopping thrill.

47.  The thing I would now prize most above all else is the secret to not worrying.

48.  In my head, I'm still 19.

49.  It is what it is.

50.  Cillian Murphy's eyes really are that blue.

If you're still with me, thanks for reading.  I'll be back with a more substantive post very soon.