The hardest winter

The hardest winter for nigh on 100 years, depending on who you speak to. It's certain that pretty much everyone's had enough now. Snow fell on 21st January, and here we are on 8th March, and it' s still there, with all that's fallen, melted, re-frozen, and been blown about since. And it's been cold.

Personally this is just my second winter here, so I can't give you any comparisions over time. I can say though that it beats grey damp southern England. It may be cold. I may have had to abandon my car to the snow a couple of times. But by God it's beautiful. The hardest thing is to stop wandering the countryside with my camera.

The main thing that strikes me every time I go out is the way most of the buildings and even the villages and hamlets sit in the landscape so perfectly. And it's not a subversive posture; it's one of comfort, of belonging. It's the feel that a superbly landscaped garden has. It's the sort of feeling I get when I'm working in my garden; something I'm missing at the moment, and for which I'm building up considerable enthusiasm for. When the spring comes, it really will be time for a celebration.

What I haven't managed to capture quite so successfully with my camera yet is the same feeling about people in the landscape. (This is something I'm going to work on for my next project, come the spring. There's not much in the way of movement out there for now!) I wonder if it is still there in every day life, even here. I did witness that same belonging during the 'Balade' last July, but that was a retrospective, living history event. I can tell you about that another time.

Anyway, in the meantime, I've got a small selection of winter photographs for you, just so you can keep up with the views.

PS I've also added some thumbnails to my consultancy pages at www.blueskypoint.co.uk.