A COLD AND FROSTY MORNING...Temperatures were well below freezing on Saturday morning. Nevertheless, the frosty scene tempted me to take a stroll around the garden to take a closer look.
The euphorbia looked beautiful... just as if it had a dusting of icing sugar.
Fortunately the Trachycarpus is a hardy palm but even on a winter’s day its fan shaped leaves give the garden a tropical look.
The little Box hedge and lawn have a good frosting too.
Bird bath is frozen....
....and the sword like leaves of the phormium are speckled with ice crystals.
The day was crisp, the sky was clear and the sun shone. As I drove into town I looked across the valley. What a beautiful scene to behold on this January morning. I stopped the car to enjoy the sight for a few minutes. Fortunately I had my camera and so I was able to capture the moment.
There had been a fall of snow during the night which lingered, even on the lower slopes of the mountain.
Sheep quietly grazed on the frozen grass.... I thought of their cold tummies and how cold their feet must be. Then suddenly they spotted me standing by the fence.... probably hoping that I had something tasty for them to eat.....
The black faced one was the braver and headed the flock nearer and nearer to the fence.
They stood looking so expectantly and I was sorry I had no juicy clover leaves or grain to give them on this cold day.
We stood quietly and still, just looking at each other.... but I was getting cold, with a raw wind blowing down the valley..... I had to get into town with shopping to do.
After getting our grocery needs, I often go down to the sea front for a while. I knew that plans had recently been unveiled for the new sea defence project and that work had just commenced.... so I was keen to see what was happening.
Over the years, significant damage has been caused to the sea wall by severe storms that have battered the coast. The picture below shows just how badly the steps leading down to the beach have been eroded away.
This new sea defence project is designed to construct two groins made up of massive rocks ranging between 3 to 10 tonnes in size that go out to sea to form a breakwater, thus reducing the height of the tide and its force.
The rocks are being delivered to the beach by two means.... the smaller ones by road from a local quarry and the larger ones are carried over by ship from Saint Malo, France.
Work is being carried out in the evenings and during the night.
This work, costing an estimated £6.4 million, is long awaited and will reduce the risk of tidal flooding in the town.
A visitors information point has been set up overlooking the sea defence work. It is of great interest to local people and school children to witness this massive construction work taking place.
The ships bringing the rocks over from France are dependent on the tide to enable them to get as close to shore as possible.
This is just the beginning... it will be interesting to see it all evolve. Work is expected to be complete by March 2011.
As the waves gently lapped the shore on this sunny day, it is quite easy to forget its mighty force and the eroding damage it causes.
