A Walk on Boxing Day

Christmas Day festivities over, it's time for a bracing country walk on Boxing Day.  There are no crops appearing yet in the fields along the road to the nearby village of Cretingham.

 

A few young oak trees in the distance hang on to their dead leaves through the winter.

 
Deben River has a healthy flow of water ...

... and the neighbouring water meadows have a few puddles. 

 

 
Cretingham village appears in the distance.

 

 

 

 

 
Deben River in Cretingham.

 

 
Cretingham church.

 

 
Heading home, looking back to Cretingham.

 

 
Over the valley towards the golf course.

 
Fungus growing on a dead tree in a copse.

 

 

 
Felled trees on the banks of the river.

 

 

 
A footpath in our village leads to some spectacular weeping willow trees glowing in the pale winter sun.

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas Eve

Christmas lights on Christmas Eve really set the scene for Christmas Day, and it's always a treat for children, tightly wrapped up against the cold, to see them!  We can see these ones from our bedroom last thing at night, and they are always a feature of Christmas in our village.

The reindeer above and the one below are an increasingly common feature of Christmas decorations, but the HoHoHo Christmas train and the Santas on motorbikes are rather less usual!

A cherry blossom tree, having given its displays of pink blossom and then vibrant autumn leaves is decked out with sparkling lights, guarded by another reindeer.

The warm glow of life indoors is always a feature of walking out in the freezing cold.

Our own house with its tree seen through the window ...

... and inside giving exciting promise of joys to come early on Christmas morning!

The Back Lanes in Mid-December

Cloudy, with a few bright patches, makes for a very cold day when the breeze gets up in December.  This lonely oak tree has seen it all, nestling under its blanket of ivy.  On the left next year's crop of oilseed rape is sitting waiting for spring.

 

The trees lining this bridleway bend with the direction of the prevailing wind.

 

 

A few dead leaves stubbornly cling on to this young oak.

 

 

A barn conversion at the edge of the village has taken many years to complete, with work stopping completely for long spells.  It is starting to look promising!

 

The road through the village is deserted: indoors is the best place to be on a day like this.

 

Trees

Even in the depths of winter trees can be extraordinarily beautiful.  Here a lime tree's branches break up the harsh geometric lines of the village church bell tower.

 Jackdaws look as if they are deciding to roost in their lime tree in the late winter afternoon, about an hour before sunset.

 

 

 

A magnificent young oak in one of the village fields.

 

Not far from the oak a row of willow trees catches the eye with their glowing branches.

 

On the road out of the village young oak trees hang on to their dead leaves.

 

Trees line the edge of a muddy winter field.

Stag-headed oaks proclaim their ancient wisdom, presiding over a field not far from our house.