Sunday, December 6, 2015

Frost!

Across the Pond Garden to the gazebo, on a frosty morning.


I woke up earlier than usual on Friday morning, and this was the scene: heavy frost and the low light of a sunrise only a few weeks before the winter solstice. It wasn't terribly cold or windy, so I was able to get a few shots of the frost before the sun made it disappear half an hour later. Here are a few scenes:

The Herb Garden.

Frost-rimed rose leaves (Merriam-Webster: Rime, 12-century, from the ME rim, OE hrīm, after Old Norse hrīm, meaning frost -- aren't etymologies fascinating?) 

Basket-of-gold (Aurinia saxatilis) already has gray, fuzzy leaves, made even more so by the frost.

A grassy area that I let grow this year. It reminds me of waves on an ocean.

A low, near-solstice sunrise that soon ended this otherworldly scene.


I've been continuing to think about the project I discussed in my last post, enclosing my front porch to make a sunroom, and I discovered this interesting site maintained by the University of Oregon Solar Radiation Monitoring Laboratory, which has a very useful solar path chart calculator. You only need to enter your ZIP code (or latitude and longitude if not in the US) and time zone and it will make a very nice chart showing you the angle of the sun throughout the day at various dates of the year. (It shows six months of the the year, and the other six months are exactly the same, except the inner months are July-November.)


My solar angle chart. The sunrise in the last photo is about 120° from north, according to this chart.


We've been having what I like to think of as "English" winter weather: overcast, damp and not too cold, most days around 40°F. I hope we get our usual clear, sunny cold days back soon, as I'm missing the sunshine inside the house.

And I hope you are enjoying mild, sunny days in your own gardens as we approach the winter solstice and the Christmas holiday. Thanks for reading! -Beth

18 comments:

  1. Last two pictures ... my favorites ... waves of grass in winter, who'd have thought it .... the sun just rising ... perfectly timed.

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    1. Thanks, Jane! I'm glad you liked the photos. Thanks for reading! -Beth

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  2. Beautiful photos, very tranquil. We have had a string of gray days here in Florida also. I hope you get your sunshine back soon.

















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    1. Hi Janice, Thanks for reading and for your kind wishes. -Beth

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  3. Beth, beautiful photos, the grass does remind one of waves. Lovely! The solar path chart is very helpful, I can't wait to see your dream come to fruition.

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    1. Hi Karen, Thanks for your kind comments about the photos and about my hoped-for project -- and for visiting! -Beth

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  4. The photo of the frosted waves of grass is gorgeous!! We've had a couple days of heavy frost which is so pretty. Since I'm usually getting kids ready for school in the mornings I don't get to take pictures of it, but I do enjoy the scenery when out and about! There is something so special and 'still' about an early frosty morning.

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    1. Hi Indie, I'm glad you've enjoyed my frost photos -- I hope you get a chance to take a few yourself too. Thanks for reading!

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  5. Hallo Beth,

    just discovered your blog and I am very impressed about your lovely, beautiful garden. Looking foreward of reading more.

    Greetings from northern Germany,

    Birgit

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    1. Greetings, Birgit! Thanks so much visiting my blog so that I could find yours. I look forward to reading your future posts. Ich wünsche deiner Familie Frohe Festtage! -Beth

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  6. Beth, what lovely photos! It really looks so pretty with the beautiful frosty colors and the lovely sky in the background. Your garden is so gorgeous - just like an English garden because you have such great structure that it still looks great even when there is little flowering. The frost just highlights it all. I thought the sun chart was so interesting and how clever of you to find it. I shall plug my zip code in and see what happens!
    - Kate

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    1. Thanks Kate, I'm so glad you like the photos and garden areas. I hope you find the solar chart interesting and useful. Thanks for visiting! -Beth

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  7. Just beautiful with that kiss of frost. I love it. Thanks for coming by my blog and commenting. Happy Advent. ~~Dee

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    1. Thanks so much for stopping by, Dee -- Best wishes to you and your family for the holidays. -Beth

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  8. I love these beautiful photos! A frosty morning is always so pretty.
    Wishing you lots of sunshine and a Merry Christmas.
    Thanks for your visits and nice comments.
    Carolyn

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    1. Carolyn, your blog is a pleasure to read every time -- thanks for visiting, and Best Wishes for the holidays! -Beth

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  9. Your garden looks fabulous in frost....and yes we are having an English winter too. I will have to check out this solar calculator. Merry Christmas my friend!

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    1. Merry Christmas to you and your family too, Donna! Thanks for stopping by. -Beth

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