In a word: Gloom

But this is typical of November – in fact we’ve had a fair amount of sun compared with some Novembers I have knows.  Usually, however, fog hangs around.

Very often, the mountains are hidden

The first bit of snow almost disappeared.

But there was enough in shady places to pick out little vignettes.  I have passed this fallen lodgepole pine innumerable times and never seen the cone remnants in quite this light before.

Jacob’s Ladder.

A glimpse of running water.

 

And weeds.

Then we had three days with no sun at all.  It dribbled snow most of the time although the total amount was only about 4 cms.

One of the problems with hand-washing clothes is that it is difficult to get the rinse water out.  These garments had been on the line for days and they were rigid as cordwood.  Clothes must be hung with care in winter: where they are folded over the line, they often freeze together so must be pinned with the minimum of contact.  If it is too cold, the pegs break before you can free the garment.

A daily chore was to brush the solar panels free of snow.  Having the panels a small distance from the house means I lose a bit of power.  But they are in the sunniest spot of the yard, and having them on the ground means I can keep them clear.

Then one night the sky cleared and the temperature dropped.

It was beautifully sunny at home, but storms still hung about the mountains, and only bits of them could be seen.

 

But we are still getting a reasonable ration of sun (and it is warmer: only minus 10C last night.)

The sunrise beauty is no longer over the mountains but is seen through the bay window in the south east. Although we are a month from the shortest day, the sunrise and sunset points will not change a great deal before they start heading back again.

 

 

 

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