January sun

It was wonderful to see the sun, and to manage at least a short time in the garden looking for flowery things. The winter flowering jasmine is really pretty at present, and thrives in deep shade, but this makes it difficult to photograph well even on a bright day at this time of year, and the few berries which have not been eaten are now dull and shrivelled. I initially walked past this rather dull, brown seed head, yarrow I think, but then turned to look back and realised how beautifully it was backlit by the dappled sun shining through the hazels and ivy in the hedgerow. 

The extra is a quick skyline view from the balcony a while before sunrise, shivering in my dressing gown. I liked the smudgy effect of the clouds against the brightening sky. The frosty dawn followed a clear, starry night: in midwinter Orion appears just above the ridge of the Downs, huge and bright, while much higher above us we see the Little Bear and the Pole Star. Before bed, I stepped out onto the balcony for a few minutes solitude, and was immediately surprised by a shooting star travelling in a bright arc across the valley.