THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — www.findonvillage.com  created by Valerie Martin, contains scenes from her home village of Findon, West Sussex, U.K.

THE FIRST SNOW OF THE WINTER — 2005

Copyright Valerie Martin 2005

With snow still falling, Suzie sets off for Cissbury Ring on the Fox Down Track, 22nd February 2005.

 

The Iron Age Fort of Cissbury Ring from the Fox Down Track.

 

Is that a fox on yonder hillside?   No, it's Suzie's sister, Katie.

 

Approaching Cissbury Ring from Fox Down.  (Looking south).

 

The North Face of the Eiger.  (That's just my name for this climb up, I have my own names for everything!)

 

Monarchs of all they survey.   Suzie nearest camera.  (From Western Escarpment of Cissbury Ring, looking south-west).

 

The Western Escarpment of Cissbury Ring.... as the sun comes out.

 

Church Hill in the distance.

 

Katie says, "Time to go home now, we have a long walk ahead of us".

 

 

 

The way home back — Church Hill ahead.

 

Early in the morning two days later it was a bitterly cold and frosty (with the sun breaking through) on Cissbury Ring.  A double-decker cattle truck of sheep.... plus another trailer of sheep was just about to unload in the car park as I squeezed the Honda in.

I thought the scene was worthy of a few pictures for you.

 

Suzie and Katie were wide eyed to see so many sheep on the move, but as you can see they held them together in a flock (in their dreams).

There was no snow laying at Cissbury but I could see it on the ground at Chanctonbury in the distance.

The next day Laddie takes the girls out  in between the wintry showers for training exercise.

Photograph by Derek Colbourne.

 

Mandy and Janine return an hour later as the snow begins once more.

Photograph by Derek Colbourne.

 

Meanwhile, the sun comes out and the snow disappears as two wayward cock pheasant invade the garden.... much to the annoyance of Suzie and Katie who stand on their hind legs looking out of the bedroom window.

 

 

 

A couple of days later as the snow lays on all the surrounding hillsides and leaves the valleys green.  A magical scene looking east from Cissbury Ring.

 

Only the rounded hilltops are covered in snow.

 

If you would like to read about some migrant visitors to the Iron Age Fort in October each year, click on The Ring Ouzels of Cissbury.

THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — www.findonvillage.com is a continually growing record created by Valerie Martin exclusively for documenting life in Findon.

 

E-mail: valeriemartin@findonvillage.com