A Winter Walk In The Countryside:)

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It's a crisp, frosty morning, so we had better don our warm gear for this one, and our strong, walking boots. I'm going to wear my jeans, a nice, warm jumper, scarf and fleece jacket, my legwarmers, socks and walking boots. I don't have a hat, but I can pull the scarf up around my ears and mouth, if necessary. Oooops, hang on... I nearly forgot my mitts. :) I think that today, we'll head out to the millponds, simply because I know the South Downs will be sparkling with frost and there will be some amazing things to see. So, off we go, down to the south-end of the Street, taking care as we get past the pub, as there are lots of frozen leaves on the ground, making it a little slippery. The Yew trees are heavy with plump, red berries, because the birds avoid them, owing to their being poisonous. So, they make pretty red dots, among the dark green of the foliage... some have fallen down onto the path, and the tops are glistening with frost. Spiders' webs sparkle like delicate, silver woven, lace doilies in the bare twigs of the hedgerows and a squirrel darts across to the other side of the Street, searching for any remnants of acorns and hazelnuts which may have been missed by his friends. We reach the bottom of the Street, and there, in all their grandeur, stand the South Downs, in the distance, and sure enough, they wear a silvery-white coat, which glistens in the pale, morning sun. It takes your breath away for a moment... then, on we head to the field entrance. The ground is hard, and not very even, but everything is cloaked in the hard frost. Parts of tree trunks which lie on the woodland floor, branches of trees, grass, fences and the like, all sparkle and glisten. We come now, to the first millpond. The water is very still and there is a layer of ice on the top, apart from where it overflows down into a small stream, and a trickling sound can be heard, tinkling the water spirits' gleeful song. All is very quiet and peaceful, as animals go underground, and into tree hollows to keep warm... but what's that, I see, up ahead? It's a deer which has wandered out onto the track, and he's standing very still, watching to see what we're going to do next. We stop, and stand silently, watching... he does the same for a couple of minutes, then thinks better of it, and bounds into the woods, elegantly. We reach the second millpond, and there are a few ducks waddling around, and a couple who have found water amongst the ice, paddling around in the water. Icicles hang from branches, and birds fly above, twittering. I love this place. It's so peaceful and basic. There are no fish popping up their heads today... I suppose they'll be amongst the reeds. We sit a while, on the wall at the end of the pond, watching the ducks and the birds. Then, we hear the chime of the church clock in the distance. It's ten o'clock, and time to head back. We'll stop in the pub for a coffee, to warm us, and chat about our morning walk and what we've witnessed. I love winter walks, especially when there's frost, or snow on the ground. I hope you enjoyed it too.