A Winter Teston Reason

Our weather at the moment seems to swing between unremittingly grey days and glorious winter sunshine. Luckily today was the latter. So after I'd done a quick food shop (to get ingredients for a Tuscan bean soup) I headed out to Teston (pronounced Tea-Son) Bridge Country Park for a leisurely saunter. It feels like it takes on a different ambience in winter and it's the reason I love to visit at this time of year - it just seems to highlight  the contrast between the shades of light and dark in the pale winter sunshine, which I hope my main image gives a sense of. I really like the way the seed heads of the plants in the foreground stand out against the darker background, almost like a negative, with the bare branches of the trees in the distance.
The extra is a rather strange looking plant form that I spotted as I strolled past the tumultuous waters of the park's nearby lock.