The Ice Breakers

A cold and blustery start to the weekend with my daughter deciding to join me on the dog walk. 

Primed with welly's and layered up, she had the most delightful time whilst we walked down 'muddy puddle lane' breaking the ice on all the puddles; Bella our Weimaraner was less impressed with the slippery surfaces opting to stick to the grass verges!

We decided to drop down into Aspenden from a different route, one which takes us up and over the A10, the slope the other side is a great one for snow and sledging and the view is one of the best around here.

We decided to extend our walk as one, it was a lovely day and two, my daughter was intent on getting her steps up on her fit bit... so there's the underlying motivation!

Having walked around the back footpaths of Aspenden we then took the path up to the top of Wakeley lane and through back down to Westmill (another lovely village with another great pub to visit)!

We stuck to the footpaths as much as possible to maximise Bella's 'off-lead' time and although I have taken a photo of this tree many times, the lighting was just right today. 

This is a shooting post and a great one to watch the nocturnal wildlife from, especially owls swooping down low over the field post-harvest. What makes this photo different from the others is that we had just watched a red kite swoop over and into the woods just out of frame on the right. With that, the number of other birds that 'fled' was amazing, whether spooked by the kite or something else just created that little something extra in the shot.

Moonrise

A busy day; children's first day back at school after the Christmas break and back to work for us - being self-employed does have many advantages but also means that in actual fact we worked every day over the holidays albeit ad-hoc hours and from home, but my first day back down the unit for a week or so!

Upon checking social media, there was a post about the moonrise this evening and knowing that dinner was nearly ready, an upcoming Cub leaders meeting was pressing I still managed to get out in the cold and walk over the muddy wet fields to capture this photo. 

I was really pleased with it especially as the bright lights caused by floodlighting a tennis court totally threw off the lighting meter! However, they've actually created some nice atmospherics.

This is Alswick Hall near Buntingford.

Resolutions - Not!

So as we enter 2018, and with my social media feeds constantly updating with friends New Year resolutions, one of which made me chuckle to read; I'm opening a new business called 'Resolutions' for the first two weeks of the year it'll contain fitness equipment, thereafter it will be a wine bar! I've decided to make an aim.

After a brisk walk with Bella around Aspenden one of our local villages, I came to the conclusion that my aim this year is to get my children (ages 9 & 12) and wife (no ages to be mentioned here) to the top of something significant - preferably Snowdon or Scafell. I believe this is more achievable than a resolution!

If you're ever in the area, the Church in Aspenden and surrounding countryside walks are fantastic. Don't forget to visit the village pub, The Fox - a charming old pub with lots of history that serves great beer and food.

Aspenden Church