Category Archives: Winter

A New Year, portents, traditions and looking forward

Posted on January 5, 2013 by BarryH

I’ve never been impressed by the hype of the ‘New Year’, never regarded it as a portent or a time to make ephemeral resolutions to change bad habits, never felt the urge to stand around with arms crossed, holding hands … Continue reading →

Posted in Grumpy Old Men, Monmouthshire, Mountains, Pontypool, Reflections, Wales, Winter | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Rambling through 2012, a year in pictures: Part 1, Wales

Posted on December 30, 2012 by BarryH

At the end of a busy year it seems appropriate to look back and remember the places I went and the things I did during 2012.  Far too much to cram into a blogable number of words so I decided … Continue reading →

Posted in Autumn, Grey Britain, Monmouthshire, Mountains, Pontypool, Wales, Winter | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Windows of opportunity and a mountain playground on the doorstep

Posted on December 27, 2012 by BarryH

We moved to our present house from Cardiff in 1975 in order to be closer to my work, thereby significantly reducing the daily each-way commute from 20 miles to 4, 45 minutes to 8.  The reasoning was that out of … Continue reading →

Posted in Grey Britain, Pontypool, Reflections, Wales, Winter | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Solstices: looking back and looking forward.

Posted on December 23, 2012 by BarryH

The Winter Solstice this year began gloriously but soon went downhill weather-wise.   Still, as it recedes into the background and the days begin to get longer again it’s maybe time to remind ourselves of what the annual phenomenon is all … Continue reading →

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Back from the shops: Jinxed journey and verglas

Posted on December 15, 2012 by BarryH

When I was a kid we used to have to write essays in school on less than thrilling subjects such as ‘My Summer Holidays’, ‘An afternoon in the Park’ or ‘My Favourite Pet’.   So boring did I find this that … Continue reading →

Posted in Monmouthshire, Mountains, Wales, Winter | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Hibernation time and images of cold weather

Posted on December 12, 2012 by BarryH

Late nights have been more frequent recently.  Four times in the last week I have been up until 03.00 and this has started to impact on the time I get up.  My boast that I get up at 07.30 whatever … Continue reading →

Posted in Autumn, Pontypool, Wales, Winter | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Shafts of light in the winter gloom and hibernation

Posted on December 8, 2012 by BarryH

In the last week I have made another couple of trips to Cardiff in increasingly stressed and depressed pursuit of Christmas presents for the family.  Each time I arranged to meet up with friends in the evening, something to look … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections, Winter | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Bah Humbug!: Christmas and beyond

Posted on December 4, 2012 by BarryH

I regret that I don’t and never have, enjoyed Christmas.  Required jollity is not my thing.  Nor is the hyperventilating commercialisation which tries to drag behind it a vague connexion with the birth of Christ which the church does its … Continue reading →

Posted in Canada, Grumpy Old Men, Winter | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Winter colour

Posted on December 1, 2012 by BarryH

As forecast and commented in this blog, winter has finally arrived in South Wales (that’s Old South Wales, not the state in Australia where it’s now coming into summer).  Temperatures over the last two nights have dropped below zero.  Not … Continue reading →

Posted in Winter | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

November Daily Blog 28: Rough-dug and ready for winter

Posted on November 28, 2012 by BarryH

Completely different feel to the day from the outset on Wednesday as if the grey and the wet of the past weeks belonged somewhere else, to another time.  Blue sky and cold air greeted me as I left the house … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, extreme gardening, Winter | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment