Saturday Morning Walk...

Too snowy for cycling so I went for a walk instead. For so long the countryside has seemed static, waiting for Spring to start, I have to confess I was getting a little bored with it. However, the transforming effect of a fall of snow is quite magical. Only a couple of inches of snow fell here and the strong winds have blown much it into little drifts. The resulting contrasts of black and white in the landscapes are very effective.

I visited many of the close-by spots where I often take photographs, including the tree at the corner, my favourite fence post(!) and the view from under the arches of the old railway bridge. I ended up walking into a  nearby village to visit the charity shop. Hmmm, what would I like to find today... a dala horse, a nice Russian doll set, lego, this book, some hand thrown pots... you'll need to scroll through all the snowy photos to find out whether I was lucky on not...

I took a different route home, higher and more exposed. The drifting snow here was bad, cars were getting stuck in the snow drifts and it was impossible to see very far. I looked like the abominable snowman once I'd made my way through.

The afternoon took me to the coast for a rehearsal and concert. I managed a few photos of the firth but it was so cold I was worried I'd drop my camera. The seagulls seemed to be enjoying themselves riding the wind. I survived Mozart Requiem and even really enjoyed playing it. During the rehearsal I played the Handel pieces better but actually made a better job of the Mozart come the concert. The church was freezing, I had several layers on but by the end of the Mozart I was wishing I'd taken off my second cardigan - all that playing makes me a bit warm!

Here's a recording of the Lacrimosa from Mozart's Requiem to enjoy while you scroll...

 I was indeed lucky at the charity shop - all this lovely lego was just £1.

I've two more concerts left before the summer, one in May and one in June. After the summer I'll need to give up playing in the orchestra while I'm doing my PGDE as I'll have too much studying/essay writing/ lesson prep etc to do. I'll miss playing in the orchstra but as it'll mean I can leave my bass out the case all the time I may actually do more private practice than I normally do (which wouldn't be difficult as I don't normally do any!) Thank you to all who left a comment about my doing a PGDE by the way, all very much appreciated.