Winter comes on subtly, by degree, from the last rays
of warming sun on stubble wheat fields to the gradual
colouring of the leaves in the hedgerows.
We celebrate the darkest days after the solstice
with lights and festivals, and once again the Christmas
trees are carried home or placed in our town
centres and villagers gather for the switching on of
their lights.
Winter then hits hard with freezing rains and
snows, frosts that freeze the locks in the car door and
“blood is nipt” by the freezing air.
On sunny bright days the air is crystal clear and
the light brilliant in its intensity. And on overcast, grey
days the landscape takes on a simple monochrome
appearance with shapes reduced to silhouettes or
smudges against the sky.
Our wildlife has learned to
live with the changes that winter brings, sensibly
hibernating like hedgehogs, or becoming more active
like the thousands of small birds that are constantly
foraging for food…taking the gleanings from the now
deserted harvest fields or remainders of long picked
sprouts or turnips.
But this in turn, signifies the beginning of the end
of winter: soon snowdrops will push their noses
though the frozen ground and daffodils will brave the
chilly air. At last the sun will win its annual battle with
the north wind: spring is here and summer is waiting
in the wings full of showy splendour…but winter will
be back to test us all again next year.
In this journey through winter in Northamptonshire,
celebrated photographer Bob Caddick
persuades us through more than 140 crisp and
evocative images that winter is a season to be
celebrated and savoured. Wrap up well and enjoy it!
Award-winning photographer, Bob Caddick,
is also a freelance writer who brings
an editorial approach to his photography,
loving to “tell the story” in pictures as well
as words. Based in Northamptonshire, his
work reflects the varied scenery and
activities that attract his eye. Bob
Caddick’s work appears in magazines
and picture libraries across Europe and
America, as well as books and newspapers
in the UK. He is the author of
Northamptonshire – The Glorious County,
also for Halsgrove.
Imprint: Halsgrove. ISBN 978 0 85704 057 2, 214x230mm, hardback, 144 pages. Published October 2010.
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