Reflecting...

Friday 13th January, Norwich

The view from my clinic room window on Friday morning...

We are really not very good at winter weather are we?! Norfolk is not known for a lot of the wet stuff (apart form the odd threat of lowland flooding of course!) but this bit of snowfall on Friday put lots of people into a blind spin. To the amusement of the lovely Polish girl in the back office who kept exclaiming 'Seriously! This is not snow!'. I guess if you are used to Polish winters it must seem funny that a dusting can cause so much consternation.

Saturday 14th January, River Yare & Whitlingham, Norwich

The next morning was a complete contrast. It doesn't feel as though we have had many of those bright crisp winters days, and I thought it wasn't going to last, but after a quick burst of sleet late morning the sun came out again and I felt a sudden urge to escape the house with the camera.

The pull of water and reflections is always strong for me and I am lucky enough to be a short distance from the river that runs through the city. I obviously didn't get the exposure right on this because I managed to bleach out the top of the photo, but it was the reflections of the branches that had my attention. I love the slight distortion in the ripples.

This stretch of riverside has seen a huge amount of development over recent years, with new buildings springing up next to what were once dilapidated old factories and warehouses. There is still a fair bit of building going on and, generally speaking, I think it has been done sympathetically and has turned what was a pretty dubious bit of the city into a much more pleasant area. Whether any of the homes in these 'regeneration' schemes are remotely affordable is another matter - I feel for those the age of my sons who are struggling to find a way into independent living, either rented or otherwise, and conscious of the fact that Norwich is still really not the most expensive place to live.

A little further on, more reflections...

...and a few early snowdrops on the riverbank...

...before coming out behind the cathedral with its distinctive spire against the blue sky...

The path continues along the river and I decided to keep walking as it was so beautiful, the sun already dropping in the sky and casting long rays through the trees...

On the way out of the city I love these buildings with their pretty windows and ornate brickwork, albeit in varying states of disrepair now...

Whitlingham Country Park, an outdoor activity park built on the site of an old gravel quarry provides a place for walking, cycling, water sports or just enjoying the woodlands and nature. A visitors centre provides a cake and coffee stop if needed too. I just opted to walk, squelching a bit here and there but enjoying the chance to stretch my legs and appreciate the surroundings. Believe it or not, these are fields - the recent high tides and snow making them look like an extension to the broads...

Looking through these twisted branches to where there is usually a path across the grass, frequented by dog walkers. Some of this was frozen and I did see one or two hardy 4 legged types skittering across the ice.

A dyke runs more or less parallel to the great broad, utilised by the rowing club who were out practicing (didn't envy them actually, the water must have been icy)...

They whizzed through my photo leaving a trail of ripples in their wake...

Sunlight through the grasses at this time of year gives a particular kind of glow to everything...

...and as it dipped lower...

...from the other side of the broad the contrast between the golden vegetation and the grey of the water was striking...

By the time I got home again I had been walking for best part of 3 hours and covered almost 9 miles, a bit chilled but counting one or two blessings and reminding myself I must keep this up!

S x