THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE —   created by Valerie Martin and containing scenes from her home village of Findon, West Sussex, U.K.

The week before Christmas in 2009 brought some cold weather to Findon and a trip to Sullington Warren early in the morning resulted in recording delightful pictures....

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Ice on the car windscreen at 8 a.m.

                                      Suzie tripping the light fantastic.          "I was there too".... adds Katie.      "Off to the woods we go".

Katie demonstrates some really good hoar frost.

                                                                   Good view southwards.                         Through the pine trees.

A day later I set off before 8 a.m. when snowflakes were still falling......here are the street lights of Findon Valley from the meadows (looking westwards)....

We trudged through the virgin snow (untrod as yet by man)..... with the only signs of activity by the prints of Mr and Mrs Fox..... and the tracks of families of rabbits leading to their burrows.

Into the wood.... will it stop snowing I wonder....

Along to the Clanky Gate.... almost stopped snowing by now...

Out to the Western Escarpment of Cissbury Ring.....

Orphans in the snow.....

"Come on...this way...."

"Don't hang about".

Is that a fox?

Shipdon's Holt..... this is the log I sit on in the summer!

By this time, snowballs had formed on the legs of the dogs..... making it difficult to walk!

Then we met Glamorous Candy.... a Rough Collie... very similar to my two but larger...

She is "Best Friend" cos...

..... her Mum had biscuits..... and then we headed for the BP Garage and coffee....and home.

Lovely and sunny after lunch...... I am a real glutton for punishment and the cold.....so out we trek again....

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Here are the ramparts of Cissbury Ring...

Remember the Lone Tree on the summit of Cissbury Ring?    Here it is, very alone in the snow.

The above photographs were taken from the Findon Gallops.

I'm not sure if these are Nick Gifford's racehorses.... or a couple of Kristina Cook's eventers..... I'm leaning towards the latter.

The next day I went to Sullington Warren again.......

The sun comes through on distant downland to the south.

Katie says ...  "Another of Vic's domains".

Suzie among the pines.

Another expedition in the afternoon enabled me to take photographs of varying subjects in different directions .... firstly a trek over to St. John the Baptist Church.    Not as picturesque as I had hoped .............as most of the snow had slipped from the roof.    

The sun shines on the righteous.

That's Cissbury Ring as the backcloth in this one.                  

The Manor of Findon in the snow...... front door!

                        The back view (or back garden) of the Manor of Findon.

Sunny Cissbury Ring..... looking east.   Spot the Lone Tree. 

            Cissbury Ring overlooking Findon Valley.

Last but not least, the stark skeletons of beeches at Chanctonbury Ring in the snow.

After walking through the snow, our little legs were so fatigued we could hardly make it home..... I'm speaking for the girls too. 

There was another sprinkling of snow..... starting at 3.30 a.m. the next morning in Findon.

I just caught the early rush hour traffic snaking its way over the Long Furlong Road ... we are not prepared for this in Findon....

Continue if you would like to see The Big Snow after the New Year in 2010

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