Hoar frost and proper ice

 "Achingly beautiful" (which Google Books' Ngram Viewer suggests first came into use in 1969) is an overused phrase; however this morning felt exactly this way for two reasons. The first being the transience of the weather phenomena known as hoar frost or rime ice - frozen fog settling on twigs and wires. The frost, which has held for several days is lifting and will soon melt. Secondly, the fact that hoar frost and rime ice are best photographed in bright sunshine against a clear blue sky - which today was not. It is becoming increasingly rare to experience such days; climate change is making Warsaw's winters less cold. Two walks today; a shorter one round the southern pond, a longer one on to Dawidy and back.

Below: looking towards ul. Sarabandy from the balcony.

Below: view from my bedroom window - the silver birch covered in rime - I had been hoping for just a few rays of sunshine, but no - the cloud cover was thick and low - too low to even see the planes coming in to land overhead.

Below: wires in the winter sky between ul. Trombity and ul. Karczunkowska

Left: hoar frost on the western-facing elements of this steel gate on ul. Trombity, a vacant plot along this otherwise developed strip of (unpaved) road. 

Bit by bit, such plots on ul. Trombity are being bought up by developers - two such developments are currently being worked on, a third almost complete with several houses already inhabited. All three on the west side of Trombity.

Below: corner of ul. Dumki; open gates to a no longer existent house.

Below: the southernmost pond, totally choked by reeds, seen from ul. Dumki.

Below: after a week of subzero temperatures, I tried out the ice - it was solid enough to venture out into the middle of the southern pond, though the northern ponds felt slightly creaky, so I didn't make it to the end.

Below: the channel leading to the main ditch draining into the ponds from the east. At the end of summer 2020, it was as dry as a bone. Now it's nicely full.

Below: the middle pond. Tracks on the ice made by wildlife - my footprints were the first signs of human activity out here.

Onto ul. Baletowa, crossing the tracks, enjoying some schadenfreude moments as drivers of three  SUVs ignoring a battery of 'no entry' and 'road closed' signs, pull up at the closed level-crossing barriers and have to turn back. They thought the signs didn't apply to SUVs. Onward, then, walking along the service road to the east of the S7 extension.

Below: a Koleje Mazowieckie Newag Impuls electric multiple unit rushing south towards Piaseczno, just before sunset. Time to change lens from kit 18-55mm zoom to 50mm f/1.4 to gather some light...

Below: between the S7 extension and the railway tracks, the trees marking the line of the western stretch of ul. Kórnicka, that's a cul de sac at both ends.

Below: to my surprise, a couple of adventurous rat-runners, caught out by the closure of the crossing on ul. Baletowa, tried their luck along ul. Kórnicka. The road here is execrable. An utter mud-bath. The two cars got to the new roundabout by Węzeł Zamienie, where they were turned back by construction workers. The only way back was this way. Twenty minutes spend abusing the cars in vain. In the background - an coal train returns empty to Okęcie sidings.

Below: the quiet allure of ul. Dawidowska at dusk - may it stay this quiet for as long as possible.

The temperature on Thursday is forecast to reach +6C with rain; farewell then, rime ice and hoar frost. It was so lovely to see you.

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