looking one way or another
[OT from cottage renovations]
the past couple of days have provided a wonderful taste of what the spring will bring, but despite the relative optimism of the current ten day forecast there is still a ways to go before winter is finished with us.
with that in mind it's not completely clear whether the following images from 31 January are a look forward or backwards. one hopes for the latter but would do well to prepare for either outcome.
(click through these thumbnails for higher resolution images)
the Circle
as January turned to February the snow on the ground went through a couple of days worth of partial-thaw-and-hard-freeze cycles. treacherous as the surfaces were for walking, their effect on light was well worth going out to appreciate - luminance from below rather than above made for a different way to view otherwise familiar surroundings.
ice at sunrise
the best lighting was to be found just at dawn so for both days of the weekend a rousting of self up and out was necessary.
Howard Park
by afternoon things had gotten marginally warmer out there and further wandering turned up the curious sight of these sycamore seed pods.
sycamore seed pods
what makes them come out like this?
the first one gives the impression of a hole somehow melted through the ice from underneath whereas the second suggests an impact, perhaps as the pod falls from the tree branch far above, thudding onto and into the ice.
the real attraction of the ice sheets came from their interplay with texture and light:
but best of all was the chance to get back inside and restore thermal equilibrium.