Friday, April 01, 2011

Goodbye to King Winter..........


 
Norsminde
On the 19th of February was still snow everywhere and spring seemd to be far, far away. The small harbour of Norsminde south of Århus was ice-free though, and the sky and water had a lovely strong blue shade. A clear cold winter's day brings fine colours!







Skovmøllen on a foggy day.
 The next week-end was foggy and raw and the sun seemed so far, far away. It was nice to see that the people at the restaurant of  Skovmøllen (the old Water Mill-restauurant) saw to that the little birds were fed with Danish bread and fat-bowls. There was also morning bread with cinnamon and the birds seemed to like it!  Notice the little blue tit. It is so ruffled. I hope it will cope.
Great tit and a ruffled Blue tit eating Danish morning bread with cinnamon.



















Mossø Lake

Torup Lake


dike at the army road (in the old days used for cattle-fence)
icy paths














A clear day on the 5th of March in the lake district in the middle of Jutland. There was a thin layer of ice on the big lake, Mossø, and a thicker layer on the small lake Torup, where we usually take a rest in summer. But the path along the meadows was icy and not advisable to walk on this time. The army road along the heath was better, but still lots of ice on the side-walks. How different it looks from the summer season. The colours are dark and brown, umbra and sienna. Not a sound from the birds, not an insect in the air.

winter aconite
a forest path!
icy feet

fresh kid
















On the 6th of March my usual little walk down to the park between the sea and Marselisborg Castle. At the Donbæk cottages were still ice on the ponds, where the duck stood freezing- or are they freezing? I hope they don't feel the cold as much as we do. The first winter aconites. Still ice in the forest paths - and on the goldfish-pond. Where are the goldfish in winter? Probably well looked after in another warmer place.....














After a long unwilling pause I have reached the 24th of March on my daily walk, and suddenly I saw a fine spotted woodpecker in the Forst Botanical Garden. It was very busy and did not notice the disturber. Snowdrops and winter aconites en masse. The duck pond was almost ice free - only a small layer in the farthest corner. King Winter, get lost........


Mols Bjerge
Mols Bjerge
Mols Bjerge

snowy showers far away

And the last camera trip was to Mols Bjerge in the National Park on Djursland on the 26 of March. It was easy to see that the snow had covered the hills for a long time. The grass was yellow and withered, but soon the hills will be green again. It was very, very cold and windy that day, and there was snow in the air. Everywhere in the horizon we could see the snow showers fall over the landscape from dark clouds - and on our way home we drove through snowy weather. The last time this year I'm sure!

The next trip is to-morrow, the first Saturday of April, and the weather forecast says 20 degrees Celsius - a giant difference from the beginning of the week with 3 degrees Celsius. Welcome spring, oh! you don't know how welcome you are! The birds are singing - and I saw the first butterfly yesterday! Goodbye king Winter.     

photo in February and March 2011: grethe bachmann


This post was one of the recipients of the 2011 Prairie Sagebrush Awards, created by Jack Matthews, nature writer, historian, and creator of the truly fine blog Sage to Meadow.

6 comments:

Teresa Evangeline said...

I am so ready for winter to end. It may be spring officially, but I want sunshine and very warm days. Soon...

Wanda..... said...

I'm sure we have seen the last of winter also. Like you, Grethe, I saw my first butterfly last week, well...there were several fluttering around a tree trunk, seeping a sweet scenting sap. Enjoyed all your photos of the countryside and nature turning toward Spring...the 'fresh kid' made me smile!

Gerry Snape said...

Glad that the warmer weather is at last coming your way. We have had some warmer days and the birds are singing and nesting in the trees in the back field already.
thankyou for this beautiful post Grethe.
By the way we are all besotted with "The Killing"....but I suppose that you knew that!

Marilyn said...

Your photos show me a wonderful world no matter what the season is. I wish you a warm and wonderful spring, and I look forward to seeing your spring photos. I have never seen a woodpecker - I would love to see one, your woodpecker looks so beautiful.

Kittie Howard said...

Your photos give hope! Spring still hides from us here. I knew the Watermill restaurant would be beautiful in the snow-covered winter. Ahhh, such a lovely day that was!

Thyra said...

Hello Girls!
Soon you'll have spring and warm days Teresa. It's on the way to Minnesota!

Wanda I saw the photo of the pretty butterfly in your great post. Yeasterday I tried to make a meal as delicious as on your food photos ! You inspired me! That fresh kid was so energetic and happy! What if you could always keep that energy no matter how opld you get!

Hej Gerry, we've had a warmer Saturday but the weather folks were surprised by the stubborn fog which lay all the way along the coasts. The sea is still cold. The sun broke through in the middle of the country though. I didn't know that you saw "The Killing". Should I tell you how it ends? I love the British TV-crime Series. I watch one of them almost evey day -or evening!

Thank you Marilyn, I hope I'll get some good spring photos. I look so much forward to some warmth and sunshine. Today is very foggy but it cannot fail now... Hope for some sunny Easter days.

Hej Kittie! Spring is just around the corner! You have been at Skovmøllen once, and that's why I brought the photo of the restaurant too! I know you had a lovely day there!

Cheers to you all
Grethe `)