Hard frost continues

Into the third week of snow and frost; the 14-day forecast shows minus temperatures right through into early February. With the sky remaining cloudless, conditions for evocative photography continue.

Below: the wooden church, Chynów, in winter. The tractor has pre-1999 white-on-black registration plates from the old Krosno (!) voivodship. It is still for sale. An old-school Poland scene.

Below: pigeons flying around their loft, high over Chynów. They fly in a tight, coordinated formation; when they all suddenly change direction, their white undersides contrasting against the brilliant blue sky, the effect is dazzling.

Below: out into the forest, the going is not easy. Trudging through virgin snow that's up to 20 cm in average depth, snow that's not been trodden down, is hard work, but at least its not slippery.

Below: heading home. Saturday's second walk was short on account of what hard work it was in the forest, but a third walk (after dark) brought the day in on target in terms of paces.

Sunday was a social day, friends from London visited me on the działka, followed by a walk along the Vistula, followed by more socialising with London friends in a pub in Warsaw's Norblin centre.

Below: half an hour before sunset and Warsaw's skyline is lit up by the low sun. Much of the river has frozen over, but despite nearly three weeks of sub-zero temperatures, there's still plenty of open water.

Below: the three brave girls had just dried themself off and got dressed after a dip in the icy waters of the Vistula. A friend had come at eight in the morning with an axe to make these two holes in the ice.

Left: Arcturus in his element, today. I am trying to limit the cats' exposure to double-digit frost, certainly keeping them all in overnight. But once fed, after breakfast, and after lunch too, they are all very keen to get out onto the snow. After dark, however, the temperature plummets, so are called back to spend the night in the warm.

Below: ulica Główna, Chynów's main street. The DK50 bypass has taken the traffic out of the village. Across the street is the local health centre, the church is in the distance

Below:  sunset over Chynów Poduchowny, as seen from ul. Lokalna

Below: ul. Słoneczna near the railway tracks, as the sun disappears. The snow turns a shade of violet. The sun set precisely at 16:00, so there's now 36 minutes more afternoon daylight than at the earliest sunset (9-16 December)

This time six years ago:

Cars: bigger, heavier, more powerful... why?

This time seven years ago:
Train journey to Chynów

This time 12 years ago:
It's healthier to live in the city than in the suburbs
[Car-driving makes you fatter]

This time 13 years:
Ikaria - the island where people forget to die

This time 14 years ago
Miserable depths of winter

This time 15 years ago:
From – a short story (Part 1)

This time 16 years ago:
A month until Lent starts

This time 17 years ago:
World's biggest airliner over Poland

This time 18 years ago:
More pre-Lenten thoughts