Ice, sun and moon

What a gorgeous day! The sky is crystalline blue, entirely cloud-free. Time to get office work done quickly and move on out! After a night when temperatures fell to below -9°C, it took a while for the sun to get a positive reading on the thermometer. I set off just after 2pm. 

It was this kind of a day. In summer – a heatwave. Today, parka, scarf, woollen hat, army boots. Below: the DK50 (national highway 50) in Nowe Grobice, by the scrapyard. Note the solar panel and wind turbine, which between them must generate the power to illuminate the pedestrian crossing here night and day.

Below: my aim today is to return to the wetlands between Sułkowice and Ławki to see them in their icy glory. I had been there just three weeks ago, but was curious to see them in today's conditions. I was not disappointed.

Below: the waterlogged land has frozen, but I must tread lightly and avoid open water even if at first sight the ice looks solid – it isn't. Still needs a further two or three nights at -8°C or below to even attempt walking on the ponds between the tufts of grass and reed. But flowing water takes much longer to freeze over.

Below: beavers have dammed this stretch of the river, though water is pouring around the side.

Left: flying pigeons in Sułkowice. I could see the flock wheeling around above the house; they'd suddenly flash white against the blue sky as the sun caught the undersides of their wings. Sadly, they were coming in to land; each loop they circled was at a lower altitude. Had I passed a little earlier, I'd have caught them against the moon (97% full).

Below: the moon between latticework of the wireless relay tower that stands on the DK50 in Nowe Grobice.

Below: the sun setting between the loco and carriages of the Radomianka limited-stop service to Radom as it approaches Chynów. 

Below: the sun descends behind a medium-tension electricity pylon, on the other side of the railway line, between Chynów and Sułkowice stations.

This time last year:
Misty day in Dobieszyn

This time two years ago:
On-spectrum asks

This time three years ago:
Ego, Consciousness and the Ladder of Authority

This time four years ago:
Trains and snowy days

This time five years ago:
"I wake up at five and queue for bread and soup"

This time six years ago:
Getting over this year's flu

This time seven years ago:
War and the absence of war

This time nine years ago:
Sensitivity to spiritual evolution

This time ten years ago:
75th anniversary of Stalin's deportations of Poles

This time 11 years ago:
Peak Car (in western Europe at least)

This time 12 years ago:
Pavement for Karczunkowska NOW!
[To this day, the road is worthy of a provincial Russian village]

This time 14 years ago:
Until the Vistula freezes over 

This time 14 years ago:
Of sunshine, birdsong and wet socks

This time 15 years ago:
Confusion on the rails

This time 16 years ago:
Road to Kraków

This time 17 years ago:
Happy birthday, Dziadzio Tadeusz