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                         a   S T A M M E R  project              

2008 December 12-14, Friday to Sunday

A beautiful full moon rise on Friday 12th, when the sky was calm and clear. Things would dramatically change in the following two days.

Full moon above the snow covered Catalan Pyrenees in the north-east.
Friday 17:27
 

I finished the straw filling in the roof.
Friday 15:36

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On Saturday morning the weather was still nice and I took my time to take photos, taking advantage of the special quality of winter morning light, frost and mist.

The upper pond, slightly frozen.
Saturday 9:11

Subtle colours and forms  with Erigeron acer and Torilis arvensis  in the foreground.
Central terrace.
Saturday 9:18

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Then I started considering how to proceed: the weather forecast had predicted precipitation, probably snow and I was doubting if I should take away the PE sheets and continue sawing and cutting the OSB boards on the roof. Just at that moment the neighbour came along on his tractor with backhoe, sent from heaven as would turn out later. In no time we lifted the heavy EPDM liner onto the roof, something which otherwise would have cost the hands of at least 4 men. Just when I was finishing to distribute and extend the liner on the roof it started to snow...
Not just that watery kind of snow that had fallen before and hadn't formed  any kind of distinct layer. No, this time it accumulated and built up. It continued to snow all night and on Sunday morning there was a layer of almost 20 cm, quite unusual for this part of the Pyrenees, especially because it didn't melt away during the day.

The garden house is finally decently protected with one strong waterproof EPDM liner.
Saturday 14:19

Two hours later:
a baptism of snow.
Saturday 16:11

Sunday morning 12:00.
18 cm snow on the roof.

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I don't want to imagine what would have happened if the roof had still been protected with the inferior PE sheets with a thick layer of snow on top of it, slowly melting and seeping away into the building.

Other creatures did suffer from the snow: the trees, especially the Portuguese oaks (Quercus faginea) which had still many leaves on which the sticky snow could easily accumulate in the absence of any wind. They gave a really sad impression: thick branches were bending as if made of rubber and many of them had broken off. I decided too make their burden lighter and hit the accumulated snow with a long pole. Fortunately many branches reacted instantaneously, springing in an upright position again. 

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Needless to say that the landscape looked beautiful, as if enchanted.

Looking north.
Sunday 8:31

Bird feeder with snow hat.
Sunday 10:14

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In this black and white world, remaining colours gain a subtle protagonism.

The village seen from the  central terrace.
Sunday 8:30

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The birds also felt a bit lost in so much snow and at the bird feeders there was a considerable concentration of Great tits. 

introduction
floristic catalogue
faunistic catalogue
contact
index
gallery 1: 2006-2012
gallery 2: 2012-
map
>> 2009 Jan 17
<< 2008 Dec  6