Haia Pawb (Hiya Everyone)
A couple of weeks ago, we had a little bit of snow, though the temperature wasn’t cold enough for it to do more than settle in nooks and crannies on the tops of the hills surrounding the town. However, this morning I woke up to snow covering the ground and still falling.
 |
| View out my bedroom window |
After taking some photos from the front door of Stiwdio Maelor, I threw on some clothes, including my waterproof overpants, and went for a walk.
 |
| From the Stiwdio Maelor doorway |
When I first wandered up the road, the snow was falling so fast I thought I might not last too long. However, it slowed down after a few minutes and after I took some photos close to the village, I went up past The Italian House.
 |
| A field just down the road |
 |
| Birds dancing on the snow? |
 |
| My footprints |
 |
| The Italian House |
 |
| The trail to the lookout |
Once I brushed away the snow from a flat slab of slate, my usual meditation spot at the lookout, I sat down to absorb the view of white crusted trees, swaths of snow on nearby rocks and smothering the bases of trees, and the distant slopes half hidden by mist, half bleached by snow.
 |
| Distant view from the lookout |
 |
| Closer view of trees |
 |
| Some ruins at the lookout |
 |
| The Arthurian pool at the back of the lookout |
 |
| From the pool |
Whenever the traffic from the main road on the other side of the valley disappeared, all I could hear were the occasional creaks of pine trees as they bore the weight of snow, the constant tumble of water into a pool to my right, and the soft plops of snowdrops on my jacket. Every now and then a robin, a coal tit, a tree sparrow or some other hidden bird would trill, tweet, chirp or chit-chit-churr its appreciation or annoyance at the chilly whiteness around us.
 |
| An old slate miner’s house |
 |
| The trail down the other side of the hill |
 |
| By a local kid |
 |
| Corris in Snow |
 |
| What do you think? More tomorrow! |
Glad you enjoyed the snow, Earl. I stayed in the house all day and dud my best to avoid it!
Inge
Did, not dud!
It looks beautiful, Earl – quiet and mysteriously homely.
Hi Earl, Congratulations on being a Great Uncle again to Eric Michael Bahr. Also with each blog I look forward to some great photos. You have not disappointed, I love the birds footprints in the Snow and the mist in the mountains. Enjoy your day. Bill & Astrid
Hi Inge, I figured you meant 'did' 🙂 I can understand your staying in, as you've probably seen enough snow in your life and experienced the downside: slush, frozen windscreens, etc. I enjoyed the scene because it was my first time. The magic might wear off if I come back to Corris often enough…I wish. Cheers.
Hi Catherine, I love your phrase 'mysteriously homely'. Yes, it was, especially as I feel so much at home in Wales. All the best.
Hi Astrid and Bill, And congratulations to you two as new grandparents and of course to Allan, Jo and Eric for their new family! Thanks for the appreciation of the blogs. I enjoyed those bird footprints, too; so unexpected that a bird would traipse around the snow like that. Have a great day yourselves. See you in a few weeks. Love, Earl
Some lovely descriptive prose! Thanks for sharing your walk with us.
Great photos and words, Earl. Felt as if I had been teleported to Wales!
How odd to look through a window at outside furniture as it sits there waiting on milder days. Some way off I'd guess. I remember being at Mt Baw Baw years ago and the incredible silence except for the crispness of my footsteps. I'm sure those sights will find their way into your work.
Glad you enjoyed the experience Earl, I like your description "snow melt" which we call slush:)
Best
Declan
Thanks Liz, Carole, Peter and Declan for your appreciative words.
Declan, 'slush' sounds so messy, but can be the right word at times. The 'snow melt' I experienced was thinner and disappeared quicker than what I imagine 'slush' to be.
Peter, I too hope that such experiences help the writing in some way, which is one reason I came here in the first place. I like your description of the silence and crisp footsteps. I almost think I'm intruding with my sounds in that type of silence.
Carole, Well, I hope I'm equally as good at transporting the readers of my novel when I finish it and send it around for comment. I'm over 75% done of the third draft. Lots still to do. I hope your own work is going well.
Liz, In a few months you'll be here to experience again the wonders, which I'm sure will influence the new novel. Good luck with it.
Hi Earl You are probably back in Australia by now. I've had three months of being a bit more than just sick. End the year worn out and started getting asthma and then landed into the Storm Asthma thing and ended up in hospital 8 days being seriously ill with diabetes, pancreas, asthma and a few other things. It's stopped me in my tracks for 3 months and the brain won't work along with the physical lethargy. So I haven't been up to reading your posts. The photos are beautiful. I saw snow falling in Japan for my first time and it is a wonder to the soul. Not so much when you have to shovel out the drive though. Your Wales seems to have lost itself in the decades – it's rocky outcrops could be hiding chieftains of old watching you.
I missed what the Italian House was. It looks like a cemetery. See you sometime in 2017 I'm sure.
Lyn