Vesna Armstrong Photography

  Despite the cold and mud I have enjoyed my morning dog walks this month and have taken quite a few photos. I love the diffused winter light, and this January we have had some dramatic weather conditions making for some exciting photography opportunities. Here are a few shots from a beautiful misty morning on the canal.

  It was a glorious morning of frosty sunrise painting the landscape in the incredible, ethereal kind of beauty no summer sunrise can compete with. It was cold, yes, but the magic was so breathtaking that you didn't notice the cold.  

  "January is my favorite month,when the light is plainest, least colored. And I like the feeling of beginnings." ~ Anne Truitt ~

  "It is the uncertainty that charms one. A mist makes things wonderful." ~ Oscar Wilde ~

  At this time of the year when the countryside is usually a bit too muddy for pure enjoyment I like to visit pretty villages or small towns and have a good explore and stroll around them. I regularly pass through the town of Bingley on my travels to Haworth, and  this quiet New Year Bank Holiday seemed a perfect time to actually stop there and have a gentle tour. Bingley is a great place for walkers and nature lovers. It lies both on the River Aire and Leeds-Liverpool canal. Right in the centre there is the entrance to the huge and very beautiful Myrtle Park, but the best thing for me is St Ives Estate, a 550 acres Country Park full of features and surprises which I will no doubt be returning to later on in the year.  

"Peace on earth will come to stay, when we live Christmas every day." ~ Helen Steiner Rice ~

  "May the longest night and the shortest day Bring rest to your mind and soul, I pray. May you find guidance and may you find peace, As the cycle of light will slowly increase. Embrace the magic that the darkness bears, Breath deep in the chill and shift in the air. May you always be blessed with the light from within, And may well-being be yours as the new cycle begins."