Winter Wonderland!

Living in England, particularly in the south as i do, snow is not too common. It usually snows a few times during the winter, settling probably only a couple of times and is almost always gone after a couple of days. This year we have had heavy snowfalls and frozen temperatures that have now been with us for almost two weeks. As usual the snow caused traffic chaos with many people, including myself, unable to get into work. The snow was so dense i couldn't even get out of my cul-de-sac.The authorities gritted the main roads which immediately got clogged up with traffic as nobody could use the side roads. Absolute gridlock!

The scene from my front door. Notice the uncollected refuse bins!

The upside to all the mayhem was stunning scenery along my usual walks and a welcome silence with fewer vehicles on the roads. It was also nice to see loads of children outside playing in the snow and listening to their laughter, when usually they are all indoors using the playstation or watching television.

Snow and blue sky along the canal towpath near to where i live.

Today the temperatures have gone above freezing and a big thaw has begun. There is slush on all the roads and huge puddles everywhere. No doubt there will be floods as a result bringing more mayhem to parts of the country. That's the trouble with our climate - one extreme to the other and difficult to predict.

The frozen canal. Notice the trees on the opposite bank weighted with snow drooping into the ice.

A slippery walk up to one of the locks.

 

A snowy treescape.

On my doorstep

Low bridge and lock gate

Within a four to five minute walk away from where i live is the Basingstoke Canal. I use the canal for convenience for walking to the nearby village of St. Johns or the much longer walk into Woking if i don't want the hassle or expense of parking the car. Like most locals i tend to take the canal for granted. However the other day i went out for another of my walks and this time took my camera with me. This gave me a chance to take my time, take a step back and look at the canal from a totally different perspective.
A view along the tow path

I hadn't appreciated the beauty and living landscape that was literally on my doorstep. The day was damp, slightly misty and still. There was hardly anyone around apart from the odd jogger. I just wandered along taking the odd photograph of anything that interested me.
Interesting shapes and contrasts

Reflections in the water

Spring daffodils on the canal bank

When i got home and uploaded the photographs i had taken and had a really good look at them i realised how lucky i was to live close by and have access to such a beautiful environment the beauty of which up to now had generally passed me by. I hope the scenes that i have posted convey just how beautiful this man made stretch of water is.
An unusual angle!

An lovely plaque attached to one of the bridges

Another of the many lock gates along the canal