The first frost of the season showed itself on the morning of the 2nd of December! As you are probably aware this is very late for a first “proper” frost and many of our garden plants are still in flower because of the mild weather.
Furthermore, here are some lovely frost scenes taken around the Wombrook area:
As Autumn is upon us and Winter not too far away, the trees shed their leaves in vibrant oranges and reds. The picture below was taken a few weeks ago at the Friends of Wombrook “Nature’s Bounty” event, the towering poplar can be seen behind, shining with vibrant hues. (I can only presume it to be even more vibrant now as the weeks have passed!)
Any thoughts on the coming winter? Leave a comment, there is a mixed consensus as to whether the weather will be cold and snowy or wet and windy.
With temperatures falling to -14.5 on Saturday night and 5 inches of snow, the country has been put into havoc. While we all realize that the weather has been bad for people wanting to commute, it’s easy to forget what effect it has on the local and national wildlife! The snow and ice make it very hard to find food for many animals. An example of this is the Kingfisher, which relies on running streams, brooks and other water sources to catch their meals, so they are obviously going to find it difficult to stay fed when the brook is frozen. Again, feeding garden birds will make a big difference to there survival as said in the previous post.
Apart from the difficulties of finding food in these harsh conditions, they do make an already stunning area look even more beautiful. Here are a few pictures from the area around the Wombrook to illustrate.
It was forecasted that Wombourne would see snow and generally experience freezing conditions at some point over the festive period - unlike previous winters when such occurrences were rare.
Above is a recent photograph of the section of the Wom Brook Walk adjacent to Gravel Hill. To date, the Wom Brook Walk remains icy and caution should be taken when using it.
Many thanks to members of the Friends of Wom Brook, along with other villagers who regularly collect litter deposited along the Brook. Their efforts were visible this morning in the form of filled refuse sacks awaiting removal by South Staffordshire Council.
These scene was photographed in February 2007, and shows both Bow footbridge and Gravel Hill Bridge during a snow shower. The white blobs were created by the camera’s automatic flash reflecting off the snowflakes.
Weather forecasts yesterday predicted that an overnight frost measuring -2 degrees Centigrade would dominate the night air. The above scene greeted early morning walkers today along the Brook. It was a chilly reminder to ensure gloves and hats were available for the less hardy amongst us; certainly the students from Ounsdale High School didn’t seem to notice the freezing temperature-although cold, it wouldn’t have been ‘cool’ to wear a hat and gloves for school!
Those of you familiar with the story of Noah’s Ark will recall that the rainbow was a message from God to Noah that the rainfall was at an end.
Last week, after a welcome period without rain, we received a day of prolonged showers. It ended with an evening rainbow-which was photographed from the Gravel Hill section of the Wom Brook Walk, looking in a south easterly direction.
It would be good to see another rainbow-otherwise we’ll have to be building our own arks, as yet again this August we seem to be plagued with more rainfall than sunshine.
On Tuesday this week, the Wom Brook was the setting for the BBC Midlands Today weather forecast. Weather presenter and Wombourne resident Simon Keeling presented his forecast from the Gravel Hill section of the Brook, following an interesting feature on one of the Brook�__s more elusive creatures, the water vole. He even found evidence of their presence, from recently chewed plants.
Simon confirmed the numerous sightings of the water voles by the Friends of Wom Brook
As the 2005/6 winter draws to a close with a flourish (or should that be a flurry) of snow showers and frosty nights, Wombourne woke to yet another morning of snow and ice.
Walking along the Brook-although picturesque, was not without its risks-snow had obscured ice, causing a number of early morning walkers to slide unexpectedly.
The above photo was taken looking south along the Railway Walk, where it crosses the Brook-almost out of picture in the left foreground is the footpath leading to the centre of the village.
The above scene, taken at sunrise from the Railway Walk, looking down towards the Brook, was photographed on Wednesday morning 30th November, almost two days after the first snowfall of the winter.
Rain preceded the heavy snowfall at midday on Monday 28th November, and the subsequent drop in temperature soon ensured that the village woke to two successive snowy sunrises.
This part of the Wom Brook Walk is a particularly popular recreational area following snowfall-the gentle slope encourages many budding winter sport enthusiasts, evidenced by the many tracks seen in the above photograph.
At the time of posting this entry, the vast majority of the snow had melted.