AN OUTDOOR LIFE

Recovering from the winter some green shoots of new growth are beginning to show. The cycle of regeneration is underway and is triggered mainly by an increase in daylight hours  - we are already over two months from the winter solstice - also higher temperatures and more sunshine trigger nature's mechanisms.  If we go outside then we can also experience this renewal of life, growth and expectations.  Sent from my Blueberry  ®  mobile device

Two vapour trails crossing in the sky above the setting sun - lemon merengue on the hazy horizon of a late winter afternoon with bare trees and frozen earth. An accidental random "X" high in the sky for a few moments - an anonymous kiss there to raise the spirits of any passing romantic.  Sent from my Raspberry  ®  mobile device

Following a few days of warmer weather and some sunshine the cherry blossom is coming out. Also the lanes and byways are fast being decorated by swathes of white blackthorn blossom. Sent from my Raspberry  ®  mobile device

They're out! The buds have opened and a host of golden daffodils are dancing in the breeze in all their glory.  Sent from my Raspberry  ®  mobile device

Farewell to the mountains with a final blaze of sunset high on the summit above Santa Caterina. A week of cold clear weather with daytime temperatures just below freezing and dropping overnight to -16°C, which helping to maintain reasonable snow cover for winter sports in spite of the lack of snowfall.  Sent from my Blueberry  ®  mobile device

Another Compagnoni - this time the Deborah Compagnoni  - the steepest overall downhill run, and the bumpiest, on the World Cup circuit. Named after the most successful Alpine competitor of all time, Deborah Compagnoni, born in Borneo in 1970, who won 3 gold medals in successive Winter Olympics in the 1990s. Over 3 km long with a drop of more than 1 km this is a challenging run to do in a one-er for the recreational skier at one of the most scenic and hidden gems of the European Alps.  Sent from my Blueberry  ®  mobile device

A cornice has formed at the top of this crag - snow building up on the lee slope of the prevailing wind. This snow feature is the crowning glory of many a snow-filled gully but will come crashing down at some stage in the future.  Sent from my Raspberry  ®  mobile device

In the middle of an active ski resort, once the humans have gone, the mountain hare comes out to run on the snow, nibble some thyme and grass and, resplendent  in its warm white fur, look around its own magnificent mountain amphitheatre. Sent from my Raspberry  ®  mobile device

A still cold sunny late afternoon in the Italian Alps and the remaining skiers are starting to ski down to the valley. From the origins of the sport as a means of winter transportation in Norway alpine ski racing and the sport of alpine skiing were invented by the British in Switzerland and Austria in the early part of the 20th century. Skiing has gone on to become a worldwide activity for millions of people who can enjoy the majesty of the mountains in winter.  Photo © Geraint Brown Sent from my Blueberry  ®  mobile device

For many good skiers the piste ultimately becomes boring and wandering off piste begins. At first this is at the margins but soon the appeal of making your own tracks in fresh powder snow becomes one of the ultimate joys of skiing.  Photo © Geraint Brown Sent from my Blueberry  ®  mobile device

High above the alpine village of Santa Caterina a snowy peak shimmers in the late afternoon sun. One of the few remaining modern ski resorts retaining a traditional ambience, this village provided the majority of mountaineers for the first ascent of K2 in 1954 including one of the summiteers Achille Compagnoni.  Sent from my Raspberry  ®  mobile device

Two dead badgers on the road to St Davids this morning - fresh kills on alternate sides of the z-bend by the turkey farm. We have an ambivalent relationship with this iconic British mammal - having rescued its ancestors from the perils of baiting we now cull them in a misguided attempt to reduce the incidence of TB in cattle. Badger fur provides superior bristles for the best shaving brushes and can also be used to decorate traditional Scottish sporrans.  Sent from my Blueberry  ®  mobile device

Overnight the river level has dropped and daylight reveals this large tree branch well and truly jammed at the top of the weir. The stopper is still dangerous but has lost much of its ferocity.  Sent from my Blueberry  ®  mobile device

All the rain over the weekend has brought the River Cleddau into spate and carried a tree down river to wedge in the salmon ladder on this weir. The re-circulating water is a "keeper" (USA) or "stopper" (UK) and is a deadly hazard to any one boating or swimming down the river. Sent from my Blueberry  ®  mobile device

During cold weather a halo round the moon can sometimes be seen. Even though the moon was only at the first quarter it still looks almost full in this photo, also showing red colour on the inside of the halo. Such halos are formed by hexagonal ice-crystals in the atmosphere at an altitude of about 20,000 feet.  Sent from my Blueberry  ®  mobile device

Superb photo of a Green Woodpecker picus viridis  - taken by Mark Malloy and winner of the Nikon Winter Wildlife Photo Competition. He calls this image "A touch of colour".  Sent from my Blueberry  ®  mobile device

Deep in the wood of beech trees stands a solitary silver birch, crowded but not obscured. Standing tall and reaching for the sun but overshadowed by its darker-barked companions. How long will a single white tree survive in a forest of black trees? Sent from my Blueberry  ®  mobile device

A close up of the moss world growing on the beech trees above Merlin's Brook.  Sent from my Blueberry  ®  mobile device

A Beech wood in winter can be bleak as very little undergrowth lives under the trees' dense summer canopy. However mosses and ferns thrive in the shade and show their verdant glory once the leaves have fallen.  Sent from my Blueberry  ®  mobile device

Spotted in Westfield Pill, near Neyland on the north shore of Milford Haven - a Little Egret quietly fishing in shallow water. These nervous, shy birds have bred in southern Britain for more than twenty years and overwinter in coastal locations throughout the country as far north as Orkney. As long as we have mild winters they will continue to thrive. Sent from my Blueberry  ®  mobile device