Winter is here

Still winter. And from what I've heard, that's not quite the case everywhere, so I consider us lucky, for we've had the most perfect winter's weather for over a week now and apparently there's more to come.
Lots of sunshine, no wind and just above zero during daytime, and frost in the nights. Winter cannot be more perfect than this!

Here are some photos I took this week, in the garden and walking around our village.

First we had some days with fresh snow

The pansies were covered but didn't give in

So cute: Cat prints in the snow

Hydrangea "Annabelle" - this is why I didn't remove the faded flowers yet

Hibiscus seed pods

This brave little rose, Guirlande d'Amour, still has fresh leaves, despite the cold

After a couple of foggy nights everything was covered with hoarfrost, one of nature's most beautiful miracles

Frost on every single rose thorn

Still cloudy though and no sunshine, but all of a sudden we had this sunset. And there's a saying which I'll roughly translate from Dutch: red sunset brings beautiful weather

And so it did the next day, and immediately everything looked a lot more friendly

There was even some warmth from the sun.

Which unfortunately turned out to be the hoarfrost's nemesis.

Still there was enough to enjoy, this amount of snow won't vanish so quickly with only 2 degrees above zero

And without wind it was excellent weather for long walks around our village

Everything is so beautiful with snow and blue sky

This is the old quarry, it's now a small lake

The best walks are those where you unexpectedly meet a cat in the woods

Could winter be any better than this?

Serious snow

Last night we had snow again. And a lot more than expected!

The garden, of course, looked like a fairytale.

Until I took a closer look...

This thuja really suffered from the weight!

And so did my standard rose Leonardo da Vinci

I hope it's only fallen and not broken. We'll have to wait till spring to be sure.

After breakfast the sun came out and we went for a walk around our village.

No matter which season, the view from the hill is always beautiful

A snowy road in our village

This huge branch had broken off a tree onto the road. Fortunately the warning sign was already present.

View from the woods on the snowy fields

And after the walk I took some more photos in the garden, because we never know how long the snow will last! (Although a longer period of freezing cold is predicted!)

Yes it was quite a bit of snow

Pouf's paws disappeared in the thick layer of snow

Look at that pansie

What a brave little flower!

A walk in the snowy woods

Yesterday we woke up in a white world and we decided to go for a walk. I can't stay inside when there's snow, I just have to go out!

We went to Singraven Manor Estate (as we do more often).

One of the lovely houses on the estate

Even the barn is beautiful

This one a bit less though!

Poor birds, they had a hard time finding food

The Dinkel river meanders through the domain

A snowy path in the woods

Another lovely house on the estate

Although the majority of the snow had fallen during the night, there was still some drizzle-like snow during the day, which made the photos a bit hazy and the walk a bit uncomfortable, but we knew there'd be a restaurant halfway, at the mill pond, so we were looking forward to a well deserved warm drink and maybe some local specialities to eat.

The manor as seen from the gateway.

 But we should have known... most restaurants are closed around Christmas and New Year. And so was this one. Suddenly the cold felt more intense, the walk back seemed much longer. That was a bit of a disappointment after such a lovely walk.

Still a Christmas atmosphere at the manor, a wonderful sight with the snow

Fortunately the manor estate is not too far from where we live and we made tea and hot chocolate as soon as we got home.

Welcome January

Since my blog has more and more readers from around the globe, I decided to write in English from now on.

There's still the translate button on the right though, for those who prefer to read in their native language.

This morning I woke up in a white world. I could already tell by the muted sounds from outside and I was delighted when I opened the curtains.
I really love snow, it's pretty and soft and there are thousands of diamonds when the sun shines over a snow covered lawn.

I hadn't even had breakfast yet when I went outside to take some photos, because the temperature was already rising and I had to be quick to capture some of the beauty.

Enjoy!

I love my garden covered in snow

Snow and blue sky

I love when the sun shines on fresh snow

The path

My nameless rose, still trying to produce flowers.

And Pierre de Ronsard (Eden Rose) as well.

Art by nature

My daughter made a snow cat, which was thoroughly checked by Felix the neighbouring cat.