Early morning on Ibsley Common and a return trip for the sunset. Cold, cold, cold!!!

Whitefield Plantation atop Ibsley Common from across a snowy old gravel pit

Harry peeking round a bush

The sun continues to rise across the gravel pit

Harry’s favourite puddles – all frozen over now

A distant and very snowy Cranford Chase

Robin Hood’s Clump – a local disc barrow

New snow – the only prints from the local bunny population

Looking down into the valley above Newtown Farm – gloomy before the sun reaches it

As the rising sun is hidden by a distant cloud it creates a beautiful and delicate colour behind this tree

The Ibsley Common Trig Point into the blue

The bivouac in Whitefield Plantation looking a little the worse for people messing around with it. I met the people that built and maintain this a while ago. A lovely
couple who bring their grandchildren up once a month or so to maintain it. I think they have their work cut out for the next visit!

A stand of birches lit up by the sun

A massive snowball on the edge of the dew pond – I don’t want to meet the giant that lobbed this one!

Tree full of birds – Long Tits to be precise – about 15 of them, along with a couple of blue tits and a chaffinch. Sadly, my camera couldn’t zoom in enough to capture
them and everytime I took a step forward – they moved the next tree. You’ll have to take my word for what a pretty sight they were.

Formal topiary in the garden of Crossley Towers below me

Snow plastered to the side of a tree

Later in the day I return to Ibsley as the sun sets and park the car at the top of Newtown Lane

The sun sets over the edge of the gravel pit

The last vestiges of the sun create an intense colour over Whitefield Plantation

And the colour intensifies as I move the camera to the right over a stand of birch