Sweetbriar Dreams

So where shall we go on our journey today?

Tuesday 6 January 2015

Waking Up From Hibernation and Returning to Normality

Well, my thirteen days of Panic, Preparation, Enjoyment, Pain and then Laziness are now at an end. Yes the holidays have brought all emotions into this house.  Our home has been well used this season, and dare I say it... not one argument!  There's been some bickering with my two teens but that's normal and if I grunt back they give up!  I think that other than my slippy slidy fall, everything went ok and now we have to step outside and go back to our normal day to day living.  School, college and work days will be interrupted by the usual routine of alarm calls and then being met with cold dark mornings followed by travelling back in the cold dark evenings - which I have to say I love, but it is nice to see the house in the daylight for some of the time during the winter months (as long as the windows are clean - my word when the sun shines on them at the moment!!).

The last free day before we started 2015 for real was incredibly cold, a freezing fog was making its way across the Fens so the sun was only out for a short while.   I thought I'd make the most of this last free day and look at the sugar coated garden.  My previous post had a windy wintry blast but this was a oppressive cold weight that hung around you, coating you in a coldness that you felt you had to run away from.  The remnants from the garden last year were victims of this year's frost, suffocating them with its icy grip.


Incredible beauty is formed as these little strings of ice gather together and become one.  The rain water that had puddled on top of our hammock was pulled off and collected.  The lines of ice were fascinating to look at.


Our usually bright and sunny arbour was sugar coated and would have been perfect for a wintry bridal setting.  The Christmas tree that has graciously decorated the front of the house for the past month will be wheeled back into this area until next year.  I love the fact that our Christmas tree is rooted in a large pot and is kept safe and fed throughout the year, and it really cheers me when it is moved to the front and decorated in payment.


The decay from last year was given a new layer of life with these ice crystals.  I'm so glad we didn't clear them all away in Autumn.


Very slowly and gradually the ice started to melt bringing the beautiful lush green back into full view.  No slips and slides around these emeralds.


And so, here we are, waking up from hibernation after Christmas and New Year and now returning to normality.  Back to the beautiful medieval buildings that surround me in work - yes work resumes again!  Best get on with it...


I am sharing this post on a new Linky Party called Roses of Inspiration that the lovely Stephanie from The Enchanting Rose has set up.  Don't be shy, come and link up with some wonderful bloggers!! The link to this lovely place is here:

The Enchanting Rose

I hope you are back into the usual routines and your week is going well.

Take care.


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44 comments:

  1. Love the frosty garden photos. And the church is simply beautiful. What a place to work. :)
    Have a wonderful evening.

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  2. Such beautiful frostiness!! Your photos are so wonderful. I hope that the return to work wasn't too bad! xx

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  3. Beautiful frosty photos, Chel. :o)

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  4. Chel, your photos are fab. take carexx

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  5. Squeling with delight over your pictures. I just loveeeee them. Well..we can change if you like, it is -3 windchill & snow/icy here in western NY. wink. Blessings

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  6. Fabulous photos and what a setting for work! Suzy x

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  7. Like an enchanting fairy tale, Chel! So lovely. Have a pleasant 'back to real life' week, my Dear. xo Karen

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  8. Hey Chel, I love all the photos you share with the ice forming on the plants. Yes, we are all back to our normal routines. I hope you have a nice first week back to work. Take care. Julie xo

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  9. Well working in healthcare means that life goes on over Christmas, but now all the decs are down I do feel like normality is here even if it means I have to now dust the mantle piece. Frost is so pretty isn't it! love the pics Happy New Year to you x

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  10. I love the way frost looks on everything - just wish you could have frost at warmer temperatures. LOL! Too much to ask for Michigan, right? Hope your holidays were delightful. The medieval buildings are gorgeous. Thanks for sharing them...and stopping by my blog!

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  11. Pretty, frosty photos Chel. I shall have a look at this blog - The Enchanting Rose. Have a wonderful rest of the week.

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  12. Nothing pretty to look at outdoors here. Very cold temps. The kind that makes you get under the covers all day.
    Brenda

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  13. Brrr! These photos are making me cold. So pretty though! I returned to work yesterday. The kiddos return to me tomorrow. I am not prepared for the exhaustion that I will feel tomorrow evening. I just hope to be diligent and complete my 2 mile afternoon walk that I have resumed this week. Hopefully! Have a great day tomorrow.

    Blessings, Vicky

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  14. Oh Chel, I am giggling about the panic, preparation, enjoyment, pain and then laziness :) I must say that I rather enjoyed being "lazy" the week of Christmas...I must confess that for several days I just sat on the couch by the warm fire with a cup of hot coffee and books - it was delightful :) But.....back to reality.

    Your photos are lovely, my friend. I think frost covered items are among my favorite things to photograph - they are quite beautiful.

    I'm so glad you shared your sweet post at Roses of Inspiration. Hugs to you!

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  15. Beautiful frost formations. Yes, it's time to get back to normal life, albeit a bit quiet, as January usually is.

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  16. Going back to one's routine is a bit hard, but when we do come back it is with a new appreciation of what we just lived :0) thank you for sharing... mari

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  17. Beautiful photos! You made the frigid weather even look appealing.

    Judy

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  18. Such pretty pictures and colourful prose to begin the new year!

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  19. Chel, beautiful photos after the frost. We are still in summer holiday mode here down under. The schools don't go back for another month so a wee while until we get back to normal here. We are enjoying a mixed bag as far as the weather goes but over Christmas it behaved and we had lovely sunny days.
    Have a great week,

    Diana

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  20. Wonderful photos, Chel!
    A huge fan, I'm thrilled to meet somebody from the UK.
    See you soon & Happy New Year 2015!

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  21. A wonderful look at a frosty garden.

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  22. I love your frosty photos, especially that first one! Yes, it feels that things are getting back to normal again in January, doesn't it? I love that the days are getting longer by one minute every day now too!

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  23. You really have captured the best of winter Chel, beautiful photographs.

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  24. Stunning photos! Happy New Year to you and your loved ones, Pj x

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  25. That first image is divine. The contrast is beautiful. I like ice on things just not the roads. We have gotten some snow now, so our whole landscape has changed. Pretty but very cold.

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  26. Hello Chel, your frosty images are just lovely.. I am glad things are returning to normal..Happy New Year to you and your family.. Have a happy week!

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  27. Gosh, those ice formations are truly stunning. I love this time of year for such things.

    Happy New Year. Xx

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  28. Ice may make you shiver but it is certainly pretty,

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  29. Your photographs are gorgeous! So nice to meet you. I'm a new follower.

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  30. Lovely photos! It looks very frosty there. I enjoyed my visit here.

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  31. I loved seeing your frosty photos, they made my toes rather chilly. Thanks for letting us know about the enchanting rose link up,
    I will be hopping over to visit. Have a lovely week.
    Ali xx

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  32. Lovely pictures! We had our first frost this morning, but I had to go to work and didn't have time to capture it.

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  33. Well, you sound cheerful and ready for a new year!

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  34. Lovely photos! I much prefer frosty weather to the drizzle we have had today.

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  35. Hello,
    Yes, I am slowly getting into the routine again. :-) I am pleasantly surprised how well the week has been going. :-)
    I love your photos.
    Carla

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  36. Yes, more or less back into routine. Back to work anyway. Your photos are amazing.

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  37. Beautiful captures Chel just gorgeous my friend, everything is back to normal here thank god holidays are becoming to be a real strain as time goes by.

    My day at the park

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  38. So nice to meet you. I am pleased to be following you. Blessings from Maryland

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  39. Sorry to hear you had a slippery fall, don't forget the Arnica cream! good luck with normality again. Lovely close up pics. X

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  40. Brrr…, but you shot the sheer beauty of winter so fantastic. The city restored its livelier beat and things are speeding up in my life, too. I scrolled down to find your photos are stunning. Wish you the best of all for 2015.

    Yoko

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  41. Gorgeous frosty shots.

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  42. Chel, no matter how much fun a special occasion or trip is, I'm always happy to get back to my normal routine. Guess that means I'm either terribly dull or have a wonderfully happy routine!

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  43. Chel, I love that you keep your tree from year to year - what a great thing to do. Around here I see them all lying at the curb now awaiting the city pickup - at least they put them in the chipper and use them for mulching - but your way is so much kinder!

    Hugs - Mary

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