On Sunday we rounded off our weekend adventures with a walk in the forest at Mervent [map]. This really is one of our most favourite places to be – a beatutiful expanse of forest dotted with huge lakes, fed by a multitude os small streams and larger rivers.

It is great having this all only 10 minutes away from home and we are always happy to go back there. Each week brings a new set of colours to the place, new plants peep through the undergrowth, bloom and then die. The leaves on the trees rorate through their full-year spectrum of colours and the light around every corner is different every time we go. I have taken so many photos there over the last year [Mervent photos], and I’m sure I will contuinue to take many more – I never get bored of it.

This time our special surprise was finding a lake that was still frozen over, even after a week of above-zero temperatures. We had a wonderful time throwing things onto the ice to see if we could break the ice. And the noise the stones made as they hit the frozen surface of the lake was very wierd.

Here we are, skimming stones on the ice!

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2873109&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1
Breaking the ice from Richard Barley on Vimeo.