A winter wonderland

It's been a bit of  busy week here with a few projects on the go, some work around my few days away in the middle of the month and some stuff involving the way the Government pays my living expenses.
We also did have some old school wintery weather when I went out so I took a few pictures one day and indeed it tried to snow hard on Friday but ceased by noon.

 Looking around after the baa's who'd been taken indoors, the smallholding had a fair coating of snow and almost certainly would of felt frosty under foot as I had to stand on a grass verge sinking into hole to take this picture.
The background is part of a wood that is wider toward the right that survived both road building and increasing encroachment of the built up area in a sensitive part of the North Staffordshire conurbation.

 The "Gatehouse" that leads to a privately owned park, well covered in snow.
I decided against trying to cross the road at that busy and usually dangerous  point in view of the slush and ice on the road.

The entrance to the park that leads to a big estate and a very famous hall, lake and surroundings although much is obscured by road looking very picturesque at this time of year.
At weekends people travel though it to get to the Cricket Ground set in the park for the local club which plays in the North Staffs league to watch them play, enjoying drinks and other light refreshment
In many ways we're most fortunate to have literally on our doorstep such lovely places to walk by and through.

Spring is in the air

After last week's much read and discussed at certain places post  if you're in Great Britain you'd of realized we recently had a warm sunny spell that if like me you live in a more rural area meant the farmers moved from trying to keep everything warm from last months snow to the exact opposite!

 These creatures have been keeping my company  on the smallholdings I pass while out walking, trying to keep myself fit as the go "Baa" making me feel my stomach and leaving me feeling hungry

 The leaves are beginning to grow where in the same location during the Winter I showed you all the area all covered with snow and if you look carefully there are Dandelions growing by the base of the tree trunk.
The signs are for the Farmers Market and Unprocessed milk you can buy from the farmers gate as some people prefer it to treated milk. Personally I prefer sterilized!!!

A group of Dandelions  near our wood stuck between housing developments and one of the most important 'A' Roads in the North-west Midlands. One just hopes it isn't built over.
On our village green of sorts, their are wild flowers between the trees and alongside the hedgerow presently there is a continuous line of dandelions rather like you would expect to see more of in country lane than the village centre  where also you hear the birds calling across the green dissected by the main estate road.
I haven't know too many village centres were between the shops, you can see and hear that much wildlife which makes even a trip to get a bottle of milk and Allied Bakeries finest can be most pleasant.

Walk with me

I was looking at some pictures I took recently and thought I'd share it with you.
Where we live there's this a inland waterway and while there's not much traffic on it now, there often is in the spring and summer.
Be that as it may, one thing I've always enjoyed doing is walking ever since being a child and I find walking in this area quite stimulating as you see a lot of wildlife both mammals and birds plus at this time of your you sure can appreciate the fall as you see it in the trees and vegetation near the locks such as this one.

It makes walking so much enjoyable.