Into the wet snow

This is unpleasant winter. Not crisp, bright, frosty days, but damp, clammy and overcast. Temperatures were hovering just above zero C, but the humid air (94%) penetrates clothing and makes it feel significantly colder. It had been snowing all night; wet, sticky snow, blown in by a strong northerly wind, and adhering to north-facing surfaces. The outdoors has to be braved to get the food in, however the fridge and larder are nearly empty... Below: looking down the drive towards the street.

Below: close-up of chain-link fence between my działka and the forest next door. Note how the snow has settled. It's Saturday morning, the temperature has just risen above freezing, and the snow is already loosening.

Below: looking down my street towards the railway line and Chynów in the far distance (well, half a kilometre actually). Snow beaten down by car tyres is easier to walk along, but slipperier. 

Below: corner of ulica Słoneczna ('Sunny Street') and ul. Główna ('Main Street'). Note the weight of the snow bearing down on the conifers.

Making my way back with a rucksackful of shopping, I was most grateful to my neighbours for giving me a lift home - the pavement along ul. Współna was impossible to walk along because the snow plough had chucked all the snow off the road onto the footway. Pedestrians were forced to walk along the roadway. After lunch, a second walk was in order - this time, the other way, into the forest.

Below: as you can see from the fogging, my lens did not take kindly to the warming of the damp air to around +1.5C in the afternoon - I had to take the filter off before each subsequent shot to wipe the front element of the lens and both sides of the filter. This is the track from Grobice to Machcin II; just before reaching this point I was delighted to see six deer, all young females, in two groups of three, leaping across the footpath in the forest along which I was strolling. 

Below: [what a difference a clean filter makes!] the geodesic marker post on the edge of the forest. This is POLREF 2702, one of 348 such markers in the Polish network, part of the European Terrestrial Reference Frame, a geodetic control-point network, accurate to 2cm over 50km. 

On my way, I am mindful of snow falling off trees in large volumes. I can hear 'crump'... 'crump'...'crump'... in the forest on either side of me; water droplets too, dripping onto the slushy ground. My parka hood is up; I don't fancy collecting any of this on my head.

Below: on my way back home, I came across this fallen tree, brought down by the weight of wet snow on its branches. It must have fallen recently, as it hadn't toppled when I passed on the way out (two photos up, more or less the reverse angle). Note also the tyre tracks in the foreground; a pedestrian can get past here - a car can't.

Below: the forest next door to my działka. Note the 'shadow' in front of the nearest tree - it's not caused by the sun, but by lack of snow - last night's strong northerly wind making its presence visible.

I get home and find that the bottoms of my trouser legs are sopping wet; a change of trousers, a warm drink and an early night. I have no desire whatever to venture forth into the melting snow on Sunday, temperatures around 1.3C outside, wet, dismal and thoroughly unpleasant. Blue Sunday.

This time three years ago:
Minimising #Flygskam

This time four years ago:
Notes from the Arena of the Unwell II

This time six years ago:
Ice - pond - night

This time eight years ago:
Sorry, taki mamy klimat - Polish rail in winter

This time ten years ago:
Music of the Trees

This time 11 years ago:
Studniówka - a hundred days before the exams

This time 12 years ago:
It's all in the mind - but where's that?

This time 13 years ago:
Roztopy - the big melt-down

This time 14 years ago:
The year's most depressing day
[Goes for today, too!]