Entries tagged "frost"
2012-12-03
It is that time of year when nature likes to get out her frost compasses for us to admire.
I took this photo last Friday in the middle of the day.
We are looking due west.
The southern sun has thawed the areas it can get to, but unlike other suns, it cannot refresh the parts it cannot reach. (My apologies, I think a retro marketing slogan tried to creep in there.)
The frost shadow on the sand itself is quite straightforward, but the shadows and frost on the logs are more interesting, particularly when…
2012-01-16
It is that time of year again. The sun and Jack Frost are working together to paint the land.
In this photo of a dog-mauled football, we are looking southeast. But why does the football's shadow appear longer than the patch of frost? Surely, since the sun is rising it should be the other way round?
Useless clue: it doesn't have anything to do with the dog, who wisely avoids footballs until they are well defrosted.
UPDATE: The patterns of frost we see as the day wears on are shaped by more than one factor.
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2010-12-29
Day in, day out, paths experience a different life to that of their verges.
Very often there is undergrowth on each side of a path, sheltering one side of them from the sun's drying rays, but their exposure to and shelter from wind also sets them apart. This can be seen most clearly when snow or frost is thawing. The path will either thaw first, or, as in this picture which I took about ten days ago, they hold onto their snow for longer.
As I mention in the book, this is something that can be…
2009-12-10
The recent cold snap brought by northerly winds left the first frost across the south of England. The southern side of this chimney was sheltered from the wind and this is how it may have escaped a frost. It certainly had nothing to do with any heat from the chimney, no fire had been lit in it for the week before.The other possibility is a gap in the roof's insulation allowing more heat from the home to escape. Judging from the second frost-free patch on the right, it looks like it might be time to crawl around in the attic.…
2009-12-01
The northerly winds were carrying high cirrus and contrails down towards the coast this morning. They have brought colder air, as forecast yesterday. This gave us our first frost of the season. The feel and even the sounds of the grass underfoot have a relationship with the direction the air is moving.
