Tuesday 12 March 2013

Bright Forest Morning





Today has been so bitterly cold again. This has been a week of east winds, snow and ice. Last Tuesday was such a different day. A false spring arrived to fool us that winter had almost gone.

In the valley bottom, local New Forest ponies dozed in a bright, warm, mid morning sun. In their pair bonds and family groups, one pony will always stay on her feet, on guard, while her friend lies down to sleep. Baggage, the grumpy old pony, relaxed beside her dark bay companion.

Snowy was bleached pure white by the sunlight and overlooked her black friend, who slept on a bed of dry grass and bracken.










One of the Three Little Maids stretched in the sun as she became more alert at our approach.







An older silver birch tree.



Bare branches and lichen shining green in the light.




The oldest ash tree in the valley.




Gorse was in flower again, after the dull green of mid winter.........



....and a few early honey bees buzzed and fed on the nectar of yellow blooms.




An old, misshapen oak shone at the edge of the woods.




Beautiful birches, filigreed against the sky.......







....and sharp green moss around the ash tree`s roots.



We circled the hill and came back along the valley bottom. Old Baggage got to her feet and wandered down to see us.



The wilding crab apple, festooned now with lichen, will soon be a mass of pink blossom again.



Almost home, and our Grey One`s half sister came across the green to follow us along the muddy lane.




Later that morning, I saw my first yellow Brimstone butterfly of the year.


Thank you, as ever, to all of you  who visit and leave comments on my blog. 



15 comments:

Virginia said...

What a lovely post, thank you. On New Zealand's news tonight we saw just how bitterly cold your weather has turned again. I do hope you are snug and warm until it passes.

Ragged Robin said...

On a freezing cold day here again today thank you for reminding me that Spring was on its way and will return :) I love the silver birch photos - one of my favourite trees.

Em Parkinson said...

I feel warmer for reading your post. Lovely to see the ponies and the sun. It's still a tundra up here!

Anonymous said...

Ah what lovely pics of the forest. Ponies looking ok considering the time of year. They've had hay up near us- how about you? CT x

The Weaver of Grass said...

I didn't know that about one pony staying on guard - most interesting. Lovely photographs - yes, like you I compare last Tuesday - a gloriously sunny day - with today and really can't believe we are in the same country. Snow is falling heavily as I write.

Mum said...

It's such a pleasure visiting your blog and seeing the beautiful countryside in which you live.
Love from Mum
xx

crafty cat corner said...

I feel that I am just echoing the other comment but there's nothing else to say except 'what a lovely post'thankyou
Briony
x

Bovey Belle said...

What lovely photos, and nice to see my favourite trees and ponies. Is that Young Snowy, or her mum?

WOL said...

I feel almost guilty. We're in for a high of 79F/26C today and 87F/31C tomorrow.

Down by the sea said...

So nice to see some blue sky and the New forest on the brink of spring! I love all the images of the ponies too.
Sarah x

Julie Hargreaves said...

Great horse photos

Morning's Minion said...

It has stayed blustery cold here as well, even on the too few days of sunshine. I love the look of tree buds swelling and the shapes of branches against the sky.

Crafty Green Poet said...

such lovely ponies! I think Spring is really coming in now, but we were fooled a week or so ago too, then three days of snow showed us winter was still in charge

Wendy said...

Hello, I've just come across your lovely photographs. Some sun & blue sky shows the winter beauty of the trees. And I've yet to see a butterfly this year, although I have been watching for them.

Goosey said...

Im reading this in mid-late May and I suspect the landscape has blossomed since you wrote this :-)