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:

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

Take care.