There's still snow on the mountains

This is the photo for Em that I was searching for the other day, showing how the river nearly froze from bank to bank . . .  Makes today feel almost like mid-summer!

I took myself up the hill for a walk as the sun had come out.  Sod's law decrees that when I had got as far as I was going (just before old Isaac and Rosina's house), the sun slid from view and it began to pick with rain, which, by the time I had got to the top of our hill, had turned into small hailstones.  Ah well, I wanted to see if there were any Primroses finally out, and yes, up by Isaac and Rosina's there were flowers every few yards, but only one up our hill, though the celendines were more prolific, and there's plenty of Dog's Mercury all along the hedge bottoms. 

A view of the Brecon Beacons from the Hereford road (Hay-on-Wye behind us) near Brecon.  I love the dramatic winter clouds rolling across Pen-y-Fan.  I found this whilst searching for the snow photos, so thought I would give it another airing.

Frozen river again.  Reminds me of the Big Freeze in 1963 . . .

And I am longing for SPRING, to bring me scenes like this one on the way to Builth Wells.

Ah well, it was warm with the sun out today, and there is no end of frogspawn in our ponds, and the wild garlic leaves are poking through the soil, and the birds are nest-making - the Herons at the Heronry at Whitemill have been busy this past couple of weeks now, and on the farmbuildings opposite us here the Jackdaws are cramming beakfuls of twigs through the gaps beneath the roof.  As they do this every year I wonder there's any room left with years of previous nests jammed in a tight space.

 This was pretty much the view of Black Mountain today, except the snow faded away on the foothills - literally along the snowline - showing it was only the fact it was higher on the mountains that had turned the sleet to snow.  The two flat-capped tops of Pen-y-Fan were visible, some 40+ miles away, although by the time I had turned for home, the clouds had claimed them again.  The snow line went just beyond the line of hilltop Bronze Age cairns, and below them, the Iron Age hillfort of the Demetae at Garn Goch was dark from rain.  I could just make out the litter of large rocks which formed the defences.  Here are hundreds of photos, if you have the curiosity! 

A Robin was interested in me today, though he made sure he went higher up the hawthorn as I approached.  Two and a half brace of wild Mallards flew the pond as I appeared, and a Long Tailed Tit flew overhead as I strolled back down the hill, coat collar turned up against the hail.

Then it was back to painting.  I have to get the paint for the sitting room, ut then I will be almost up to date with it again for another year.