Winter in black and white and colour

Winter continues, though the temperature hovers around zero. Forecast for the next six days – temperatures are due to fall to -10°C at night with daytime highs of between -5°C and -7°C, but no more snowfalls. Snow is badly needed by the land, to top up depleted ground water after years of drought.

Below: view of my house from the front garden. Properly snowed in. Another day when use of the car to drive to the shops isn't practical, so it's rucksack on, and I set off to the Lewiatan in Sułkowice. on foot. Get some paces in. The cats are all nice and warm indoors, having all spent the post-breakfast period scampering in the snow.

Below: the first half of my walk is in monochrome. Approaching Grobice. All is quiet in the orchards. The serious pruning has either been done or will wait; it has to be done before the sap starts rising.

Below: pollarded willows, between Grobice and Sułkowice. Pollarding involves cutting back the upper branches of a tree around two metres above ground level, to foster dense new growth that's out of reach of grazing animals. Coppicing, on the other hand, involves cutting a tree down to near ground level, stimulating multiple new shoots from the stump, for regular harvesting. These traditional forms of woodland management are aimed at sustainable resource use.

Left: not a frothing tankard of lager with a fine head; rather a fence-post with four inches of fresh snow sitting on top. Ulica Graniczna ('border street'), the border being between two poviats (Grojecki and Piaseczyński), two gminas (Chynów and Góra Kalwaria) and two villages (Nowe Grobice and Czaplinek).

Below: onwards into Sułkowice. The track soon turns to asphalt; walking on soft snow is hard work, but walking along the asphalt where cars have beaten down the snow is dangerously slippery. The optimal course is where there's still snow (rather than ice), but the snow's not too thick.

Left: having done my shopping – enough to get by to Monday, I catch the train home one stop from Sułkowice to Chynów. The clouds drift by, and the sun makes an appearance. I am nearing my działka; again, I pick my course carefully between the ice compacted by traffic and the thick virgin snow lying on the verges.

Below: the sun brings back colour to the day. Even with the train, I've still managed over 13,500 paces today (and a slightly larger number yesterday and the day before). Good start to the year!

This morning the sun rose at 07:42 today – one minute earlier than yesterday. For the previous week, the sun rose at 07:43 in Chynów, the latest sunrise of the year. And so, as with sunsets, that have been getting later and later since 17 December, the day is now getting longer at both ends. Nine minutes longer indeed.

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