In the Bleak Midwinter

Winter maintains it's icy grip on the Ottawa Valley as we've only had one day rise above freezing this year.

I have ventured out a few times to snap some photos, but it's cold on the fingers and slippery on the footing, so I don't exactly linger out there.

In this first effort, I was trying to get the mist off the river, but that part didn't turn out so well. I did notice quite a contrast between the cold and focused foreground and the warm and blurry background and tried to highlight that contrast in post.

At the time I was trespassing on private property, but I snapped this photo of the icy path and stairs ss I was leaving. I also like the warm and lighted house in the background.

Much of the time it has been cloudy and dull. In the next photo I had gone to another spot along the river to try to capture morning mist, but when you don't have much light to work with, the results are quite mediocre. It does reveal frequent local winter conditions, however.

My daughter is moving into a new place, and while she was at work, Sue and I spent much of one day awaiting a furniture delivery. I took this (above) selfie of me. Oddly enough I was bareheaded at the time, so I can't explain my swelled head. :)

Below, is a picture through a screen and window. I was taken with how the sun had warmed the wood which in turn had melted the ice nearest it.

Finally, I have been careful with my calorie intake this month, so I have been keeping this solitary chocolate by my recliner. It serves as a reminder and incentive of sorts although I can't quite explain how or why this works for me.

This is how winter drags on and on without much of a break. February is usually also a very cold month, so one cannot anticipate much of a break in the near future. And so I share In the Bleak Midwinter by Susan Boyle, just to cheer myself up.