Winter forest

After a Saturday brunch of indulgently cheesy omelettes, I bundled J up in  lots of layers for a walk. It was bright, windy and cold - five degrees celcius, probably quite balmy compared to the temperatures some here have been photographing, but chilly for the south of England. After last weekend's windswept walk, P thought the coast would be too exposed, so we stayed close to home and returned to the more sheltered forest paths. The sky was gloriously blue, and everything is still looking very wintery; the variety of tone and texture was lovely, but I've struggled with the huge contrasts between the deep shade under the trees and the brilliant sunshine. Here, yellow catkins stood out against the shade beyond.

We returned home for our brownies, which are soft, slightly sticky and richly chocolatey, as they should be.