The onset of Winter

Dear Blog readers, as ever I have been remiss. However, this might turn out to be a bit of a mammoth post however, as I catch you up with the excitement that is ... the British Weather!

This story starts about 10 days ago, when Millie and I were out for a walk in Wythenshawe, enjoying the beauty of a sunny day in the "Rhody Walk". I was snapping some pictures, including catkins in the sun and Millie was largely ignoring me, which is the Jack Russell way.

The weather had been very "on and off" before that. That is to say, it had been raining and then nice and then rotten again, all in one day. As we walked along I remembered that just by the Rhody Walk there is a fallen tree which has had some seats carved into it (just flat parts that one can sit on, nothing too clever) and I thought I'd take a picture of that.

Millie, as usual, had better things to be looking at. But as I took this shot I thought, "well what's that hanging from the tree?". Closer too, it became obvious .... someone had left their umbrella (or "brollie" to a Brit).

When I got close enough I realised that there were actually TWO umbrellas hanging there. It was so easy to imagine two people (a guy and a girl, jusdging by the brollies) coming to the tree at a moment when the rain had abated and having a sit, a chat, perhaps even taking some pictures themselves, and then eventaully carrying on with their walk. I wonder how long it was before they realsied they LEFT THE FLIPPING umbrellas! Ah me.

Of course, I left them too. For all I know they're still there. We haven't been back to Wythenshawe this week as the weather has taken a turn for the chilly and it hasn't seemed worth driving over there just to walk through ice! So, on Monday, we went to Worthington Park, which is much nearer to home - and of course we took some pictures whilst there. (Oh, ok Millie doesn't take many of these, truth be known).

This park is just beside the place where Annie goes to do voluntary work and so is another good place locally, to go for a run around (ok, you know who runs, right?). And I was struck by the beauty that a good frost can bring, with leaves outlined in ice, lying prettily about the place.


Worthington Park also features a number of "chainsaw sculptures" where rooted trees (I think, I hope, already dead) are used to carve a sculpture. Perhaps the most striking of these is "The Wizard" and for once my pup even agreed to pose by this. Prettily, I know you'll agree.

Here's the credit. He's done an eagle and a snail thing that is also for the kids to play on and both of these are worth seeing too. However, there were other dogs and owners over towards those this visit, so I didn't trouble Millie with going in that direction. Instead we struck off, into the quieter parts of the park.

And discovered that Tim appears to have been at work pretty recently. This, as yet untitled piece, is still surrounded by sawdust, so I'm not even sure if it is finished, or indeed who is expected to move in!

Cute though, well Millie and I liked it, anyway. We'll go back and look in a while, I promise - with camera.

Today the frost is more serious and tomorrow they promise blizzards. . Anyway, we did pop out to the local water park today and just have this one picture to show for it. The birds are all flying, which might be to keep warm, or might be because Millie has just run at them - she did that a bit today!

So, wish us luck with our blizzard and I'll keep you posted on the latest effects of "global warming".