snowscapes

[llywela]

You may or may not have noticed that I've been a bit quiet of late - a sudden fit of unchattiness that hit me for no reason whatsoever. I found myself abandoning all my writing projects (which remain untouched) and have also drifted a bit out of touch with my flist. Work has been on the crazy busy side, and in the evenings I haven't really wanted to go near the computer, preferring to curl up with a blanket, the cats and a good book instead!

Rather than bore everyone catching up on stuff that's been going on, I shall bore you instead with another snowscape picspam - with apologies to the scene_again folk, who are getting this twice.

What a mixed week this has been! It started with continued ice (still going strong since before Christmas) and dire forecasts, then began to thaw, then mini-blizzards and now at last we look to be verging on a proper thaw at last! Fingers crossed it lasts.



As always, click the thumbnails to view the pictures properly.

After my last picspam post, a few people commented on the blueness of the images - which was purely the result of the light quality at the time! To demonstrate, I took a few pictures at the same location at the same time of day, just 24 hours later - and they just go to show what a difference the weather makes! Still a little blue-tinged, it is true, but nothing like the previous day, when it had still been snowing.



On Saturday I took the Small Sis up to Roath Park, near where I used to live, to see how the lake had frozen over. I've posted pictures of this park and lake so many times, but have never seen it looking like this before!



These pigeons looked awfully cold, all huddled up together like that!


Chelsea and I were a little concerned about this swan for a while, as he was just sitting on the ice unmoving for absolutely ages - it seemed such a cold spot to have a snooze!


But as we stepped up to the edge of the lake to take a closer look, he woke up and lumbered to his feet in hopes that we might have food for him.


Some more shots of the frozen lake.



Understandably, the various birds that make their home on the lake didn't seem terribly happy about its condition!


Walking on water


And finally, back to Bute Park yesterday morning, after yet another snowfall.





And the view from my office window.

Comments

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Oh, never be afraid to PM. *hug* There was no real reason for me to go quiet - I just suddenly felt a little burned out with show debate (still do, hence my dropping all my projects) and in need of a little break. Also, I must confess, I started re-reading a rather long series of books I hadn't touched since my teens - they'd been in storage since I left home, but I reclaimed them when I moved last year and am now indulging. And once I started, I couldn't stop...and re-discovering an old favourite like that can be a little all-consuming!

Where is the Chris-picspam? Huh, huh? I've wanted to see pretty Germany pics for such a long time now! :P

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

LOL okay! *hugs* Some people really want to be left alone when they retreat, no matter the reason why, and the internet allows for retreating, while RL often doesn't, and people bugging you from all sides can be annoying! :)

I certainly understand the show-debate break, I try to force myself into writing my 5.10 meta to no avail for weeks now and with the hiatus nearly over, I start to feel pressured again. /sigh But yay for rediscovering an old book passion! I have tons of books in my 'library' that I would love to reread and just never find the time to. It's especially great if the books withstood time and you still find them as enjoyable as the first time around. *g* What book series did you rediscover?

*coughs* One day when you least expect it I'll post a picspam. *g*

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

I really hoped that the Nightmare List of Love would break the barrier, but it didn't - I posted it and immediately found myself retreating from any prospect of debate. Can't make myself resume the 5.04 recap - don't even want to re-watch any episodes and feel no enthusiasm for forthcoming new episodes at all, which is more worrying! I just hope when they come they are strong enough to rekindle the fire, but either way I'm not going to push myself to write - you shouldn't, either. Letting yourself fall behind is hard the first time, but once it's done there's a curious freedom on the other side!

I've been re-reading the Chalet School series - a cousin of my dad's gave me an almost complete set back in my teens and I was an avid reader throughout my school days. There are about 60 books altogether! The series started in the mid 1920s and was about a young Englishwoman starting a small school in Austria, and it continued through to the early '60s (when the author died) following the fortunes of this school and the families connected with it - having to leave Austria during the war and moving the school a few times after that before settling in Switzerland. It's all terribly old fashioned and quaint, and the writing is very dated, but something about it captured my imagination back then and has again now - such fun discovering how much I both do and don't remember about the books! They are really quick to read, so I'm rattling through the series already, but I still have a way to go... Mostly, I'm finding it a breath of fresh air after the intensity of having my head stuck in show fandom for so long!

I shall sit and await this eventual picspam. *G*

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I hear ya! I did rewatch some of my sure-fire AWWWWW-episodes like Faith, IMTOD or AVSC, but it didn't change anything, because I am not cross with S1-3. I love those seasons, there's nothing to reconcile with. Even with S4 (rewatched Monster Movie) I am not as cross anymore as I am with S5 at the moment. So I figured the only thing that will be able to help me out of this is Show actually stepping up and salvaging as much of S5 as possible. And I don't trust them to do that. :( I am actually afraid of next week's episode, expecting to be disappointed again. /sigh

I've never heard of that book series, but it sounds lovely! And certainly something to keep you busy for a while. 60 books! Wow. *g*

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

I hadn't even connected the date with next week, so little am I looking ahead to the new episode. Let me join you in that sigh.

The books certainly are keeping me busy! And rather offline...

[rosie55.livejournal.com]

Yes, I have missed you but I do sympathise, I do find it hard sometimes to make myself put finger to keyboard recently with no particular excuse!
Wonderful wonderful pictures, especially that last sequence. The trees look absolutely beautiful, thank you so much for sharing with us that lovely city where you live.
My daughter is a great Chalet School fan, in much the way I love Pros and is (or was, come to think of it I haven't heard her mention it for a while, but she has been quite preoccupied recently with moving house and such!) quite involved with various online CS communities and disappears to gathers now and again. I've never got into it but can see the appeal!
Don't go away completely but do enjoy cuddling up with your lovely mogs, nothing better on a cold evening!

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

The trees looked so stunning, the way the snow had clung to them - more so than it usually does. Made the scenery look so black-and-white!

I hadn't read my CS books in a good 10-15 years, thanks to their having been stored away when I left home, since I'd never had room for them. It's been fun to re-discover them. That old charm is still there, however much my inner critic scoffs at the old-fashioned style of writing and inconsistent continuity!

I've always tended to cycle through fandoms, mind - once I've loved something that love never goes away, but they must all takes turns being at the forefront. I feel a bit transitional at the moment, as the most recent 'obsession' has been a bit on the wane lately with nothing to fill the gap. So, I'm indulging myself with lots of books and some very random show watching, odd episodes of a variety of shows - whatever takes my fancy. With such cold weather as we've been having, it's much more fun than sitting at the PC!

[rosie55.livejournal.com]

Yes, we've been doing some random show watching, too, recently worked our way, very enjoyably, through the whole lot of Dinner Ladies which I always reckoned was very underrated. And we are ploughing steadily through New Tricks right from Series 1, whenever we have an hour or two to spare. Such great experienced actors in that. And I gave hubby a boxed set of Ronnie Barker for his birthday in November so we have Open all hours, Porridge, Clarence, all sorts of goodies to dip into there. Not to mention all the Blu-ray Planet Earth nature stuff M was given for Christmas. Give us a knock when spring arrives, would you?
And I was given a Kindle for Christmas by hubby and son and find that is just brilliant for sitting and reading in the evening (or anytime for that matter), I've put a lot of Prosfic onto it and can just sit and read anywhere.

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

I love New Tricks. I've got the first two seasons on DVD - must get around to investing in the rest, as well!

Can't quite believe that we're already half-past January. Wasn't it December just a moment ago?