Some of you will remember that at the end of my latest Sunday Selections post I said that it was a chilly morning and that I was going outside to play bubbles again when it was light.
It was indeed chilly. Minus 8.7 C (around 16F) when I headed out the door. Chilly, beautiful and magical. I was outside for well over an hour and my smiles were making my face hurt. Yes, I got some disbelieving looks from people driving by, but no-one called for the men in white coats. Or perhaps they did and I came inside before they reached me.
I suspect that the ground temperature was considerably lower than -8.7 C. Freezing bubbles was a definite success. With some surprising elements.
I have mentioned (and shown) the shells that popping bubbles leave behind. There was some of that, but this time I watched as some of the bubbles developed slow leaks and collapsed in on themselves.
On other attempts I have been amazed that the bubbles lasted ten minutes or so before popping. I was sadly lacking in ambition. This time some of them lasted for hours. Literally hours. When I came in the ground was festooned in bubbles...
I am lucky. The dread disease means that while I do (eventually) get cold, it takes a long time and lower temperatures than is true for many. It really was a lovely start to the day. I came inside and wrapped my chilly fingers around a cup of tea. And then woke himself up to look out the window. He didn't seem to mind. Much.
It was indeed chilly. Minus 8.7 C (around 16F) when I headed out the door. Chilly, beautiful and magical. I was outside for well over an hour and my smiles were making my face hurt. Yes, I got some disbelieving looks from people driving by, but no-one called for the men in white coats. Or perhaps they did and I came inside before they reached me.
I suspect that the ground temperature was considerably lower than -8.7 C. Freezing bubbles was a definite success. With some surprising elements.
I have mentioned (and shown) the shells that popping bubbles leave behind. There was some of that, but this time I watched as some of the bubbles developed slow leaks and collapsed in on themselves.
On other attempts I have been amazed that the bubbles lasted ten minutes or so before popping. I was sadly lacking in ambition. This time some of them lasted for hours. Literally hours. When I came in the ground was festooned in bubbles...
Hi EC - loved seeing these and reading of your experience ... I'd have never have thought of blowing bubbles in the freezing air - perhaps someday I'll give it a try. Incredible to see they lasted hours ... how amazing ... and then himself having to wake up to believe you ... and not minding 'much' - yes a begrudging hmph ... but a warm cup of tea and some stunning views - cannot be matched for sleep. Happy wintering! Cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteHilary Melton-Butcher: They have never lasted hours before, but that morning was just cold enough. And it was magic.
DeleteI am sure parents all over the world are not telling their children about frozen bubble blowing.
ReplyDeleteAndrew: My parents certainly didn't.
DeleteOh how I hate the cold, but you make it seem lovely with your frosty pictures and frozen bubbles. Here on the other side of the world in Alabama, it's very very hot and humid.
ReplyDeleteWe are: Clamco: Heat and humidity are not my friend. I am glad that I could show you some of the beauty - and you didn't have to suffer to see it.
DeleteDear EC
ReplyDeleteFabulous photos! The bubbles really do give an ethereal and magical look to the ground. Alien plant life? Alien jellyfish? Amazing! Well worth coping with the cold to produce those images (says she, who doesn't like the cold much).
Thank you so much for sharing.
Best wishes
Ellie
Ellie Foster: It was a lovely, lovely morning and I am glad you enjoyed it.
DeleteYes, I'd be happy to be awakened for that sight.
ReplyDeletedinahmow: I am not certain that happy was precisely what he was feeling, but he was impressed.
DeleteI'd happily be awakened to that beauty! Have a great day. Hugs.
ReplyDeletee: I am glad that others can see the beauty as well. Very glad.
DeleteI do want to blow bubbles this coming winter when the temperature reaches -15 or -20 degrees Celsius. I am very curious about it but I still want the winter to take its time to come back because when winter comes "he" likes to stay for many, many months. :)
ReplyDeleteCaterina: I feel the same as you do - about summer. She arrives too early and stays too long. When she is here I will marvel at winter photos from your side of the world.
DeleteThe pics are fabusous!
ReplyDeleteCaterina: Thank you.
DeleteMost people think I'm crazy but weather like this is perfect for the coolness and to hang outside for a little while to explore the magic of the scenery. I just want to air mail myself there right now! (lol) Your pictures are so lovely!
ReplyDeleteRO: I really, really like this time of the year. And would be happy to share it.
DeleteI hope I remember this bubble trick when it is winter here!
ReplyDeleteSandi: I hope you do too. I suspect that your winters get colder and you would have more success than I usually do.
DeleteI do not like winter but after seeing your frozen bubbles, I definitely want to try that.
ReplyDeleteYour pictures of the sky are lovely.
Starting Over, Accepting Changes - Maybe: I do love the early morning sky - and took more photos of the dawn this morning as I headed out.
DeleteYour play sounds wonderful, EC. Great photos! I've got to do the bubbles too.
ReplyDeleteMarie Smith: I look forward to seeing photos of your bubbles in the fullness of time.
DeleteWell, that is an amazing sight, I definitely will have to try that when the time comes. But of course we get a lot colder than -8.7C here, in fact it can get to -23C or even lower, although we didn't really have lots of very low temperatures last winter. I have to remember the bubble idea, perhaps I should note it on the calendar for December.
ReplyDeleteShammickite: With those temperatures your iced bubbles could last days...
DeleteIf it gets that cold overnight, do you ever have snow?
ReplyDeleteShammickite: We get snow flurries most years but it rarely sticks. One of our snow fields is only 60 miles away though. And the winds come straight from it.
DeleteReally a lot of frost. Sometimes our winter is only -10C, but we also have snow. If I could, I would send you some snow too :) Did you have a winter jacket and a beanie and gloves? Frost makes cheeks red ...
ReplyDeleteI like your bubbles.
Hugs
orvokki: I probably had red cheeks. No beanie and no gloves. A t-shirt and a cardigan. I really don't feel the cold much.
DeleteIncredible, frosty outside, and you have only a T-shirt !! :)
Deleteorvokki: And a thick cardigan. I really don't feel the cold though.
DeleteThis is so cool! Literally and figuratively. I was out with the hehos and the grandies at -2 earlier this week, I wish I'd thought to blow bubbles. Next time for sure. I'm fascinated that they leave skins behind when popped bubbles usually disappear, I've been pondering the science of that, without much luck
ReplyDeleteKim: The shells disappear when it gets warmer/the sun hits them. Slushie shells? They intrigue me though. Minus 2 is not really quite cold enough, but I hope it gets cold enough for you to try.
DeleteWhat temperature do you think works best EC?
DeleteKim: The colder the better. A minus 8 (air temperature) meant that the bubbles lasted hours. A minus five or six means they last ten minutes or so. Cold and still.
DeleteThank you and brrrrr
DeleteKim: We had a minus five this morning. There were more bubbles.
DeleteDelightful!
ReplyDeleteCloudia: Oh it was.
DeleteYour leaky bubbles look a little like jellyfish. What fun, and the frosty leaves are magnificent, too! :-)
ReplyDeleteDJan: They do look a bit jellyfishlike don't they?
DeleteThat's a lot of bubbles. That said, I have fav shots. #4 and 5
ReplyDeleteAuthor R. Mac Wheeler: Thank you. I was pleased with those too.
DeleteYour bubble art is beautiful and you are quite the photographer.
ReplyDeleteonly slightly confused: Thank you. I took nearly 200 photos while I was outside, so you are seeing some of what I thought were the best.
DeleteThe clouds look like they were racing and playing games, don't they?
ReplyDeleteSandra Cox: I like that thought. The clouds playing at the same time as me...
DeleteThe bubbles are just surreal. So are the contrails. Good shots!
ReplyDeleteAlex J. Cavanaugh: Thank you. It really was a wonderful morning.
DeleteI have always thought of Australia as hot so it is really surprising that it gets that cold. 16F is really down there. Pipe freezing weather.
ReplyDeletedonna baker: My city gets both hot and cold. And yes, pipes have frozen before now.
DeleteI'm 180 degrees the opposite. I crave warmth and have a hard time during winter because I can never seem to warm up. When I head to cooler climes, I look like the Pillsbury Doughboy I'm so bundled up. I am going to try that bubble experiment when our front returns. The kids are going to love it.
ReplyDeletecleemckenzie: Perhaps you can send the kids outside with someone else and just do a quick sorty to see the end result?
DeleteUnfortunately it never gets that cold here in Los Angeles; I LOVE your bubbles!!
ReplyDeletefishducky: I do too.
Deleteyou need a photo show in a gallery with all your wonderful winter frosty scenes they are mesmerizing
ReplyDeleteLinda Starr: Thank you. That is a really lovely thing to say.
DeleteThat is awesome! I love the bubbles...but not the cold. You reminded me of a day when we lived in upstate NY where the kids wanted to go out and play in the snow. It was 20 degrees f, and I spent ages bundling them up. Out they went. Five minutes later, they were done. Five minutes. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteCrystal Collier: All the work to bundle them up for five minutes? I suspect my parents would have sent me right outside again. Hard-hearted they were.
DeleteFabulous skies, frosted plants and frozen bubbles, so many frozen bubbles. What a great start to your day, and mine because I get to see them too. I couldn't get out in that cold, not voluntarily anyway.
ReplyDeleteRiver: Lots of people wouldn't enjoy those temperatures. Lucky me did. And I say lucky because I suspect I would have gone out anyway.
DeleteFantastic pictures, EC - the skies are beautiful; the frost is, too. And the bubbles look like alien flower blossoms! I can hear your happiness all the way through the intertubes, and am glad of it :)
ReplyDeletejenny_o: You are right. Days later I still smile thinking about it. It was wunnaful.
DeleteI am going to wish for a string of very cold days this winter so I can try this. I would love to have my yard filled with frozen bubbles!
ReplyDeleteAnne in the kitchen: You know I want to see photos when you do.
DeleteNow I have to wait a few months before I can try below freezing bubbles. It seems odd to see that you really do have winter in Australia. I hope it is relatively gentle, albeit a little chilly.
ReplyDeleteJono: On a world-wide stage our winter is a wimp. We get some cold nights, but usually have sunshine during the day. Our winds aren't as fierce as yours and here we get virtually no snow.
DeleteReally awesome photos.
ReplyDeleteRasma Raisters: Thank you.
DeleteI believe we're at least equally lucky - we benefit from your amazing perspective.
ReplyDeleteBe well and stay lucky, friend.
Rawknrobyn: Nothing amazing about it. I can focus on the magic, or live in doom and gloom. I prefer magic. Hugs.
DeleteLOVE your bubbles, and it has been cold.
ReplyDeleteMerle.........../
Merlesworld: It has been chilly hasn't it. Bubbles always make me smile though.
DeleteThank you for finding these wonders and sharing them with us
ReplyDeleteMartin Kloess: It was my pleasure.
DeleteI like the pictures with masses of frozen bubbles, it looks like a frozen fairy land with all the frosty plants
ReplyDeletekylie: I was amazed when I saw just how many bubbles survived. And I really was smiling so widely my face hurt.
DeleteMinus 8is bloody freezing.!!
ReplyDeleteTreey Stynes: Did you see Shammickite says she gets down to minus 23? Now that is cold.
Delete😳
DeleteTreey Stynes: Even I would feel that.
DeleteYou are good at making the bubbles now. Can you make colored bubbles now?
ReplyDeleteStrayer: I wish I could. Thinking, thinking, thinking.
Deletetry different food colourings in the detergent.
DeleteRiver: That might do it. Next day which gets cold enough I will consider that approach.
DeleteI can't wait to see the experiment results!
DeleteI love your frozen bubbles! Wishing I had them here. Nasty heat and humidity in my part of the world. Canada used to be known as the "great white north", the times they are a chang'in.
ReplyDeleteKaren: I wish I could share some of our blessed cool. And hope that some of your great white returns...
DeleteThe fifth picture, with the frost, looks like a tapestry, in fact it would make a beautiful one.
ReplyDeleteSandra Cox: It might - but it would be beast to do.
DeleteThey look like alien mushrooms. :) I love seeing your photos... as I'm not a dawn or cold person. I would be sitting inside, preparing your tea and commiserating with Jazz on the temperature.
ReplyDeleteRiver Fairchild: Inside preparing my tea would be lovely. The skinny one and Jazz were both asleep in the warm.
DeleteI didn't realise how cold it was In Oz right now. But it is.
ReplyDeleteTreey Stynes: Only some of Oz. We are chilly and other parts are still hot.
DeleteIt's that bubbles again, I love them, again, again, again.................
ReplyDeleteBob Bushell: I love them too. I haven't blown any for a while, but no doubt will again.
DeleteThey are wonders indeed. :-)
ReplyDeleteGreetings from London.
A Cuban in London: The world is full of wonder. Which fills me with glee.
DeleteThese are such beautiful pictures! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeletewww.ficklemillennial.com
Gina Gao: Thank you so much.
DeleteSuch beautiful photos. You make chilly mornings inviting. I've got to try bubbles when winter comes to visit us.
ReplyDeleteMason Canyon: I am well aware that winter is not for everyone - and glad that you could see some of the beauty I tried to show. And I hope you do play bubbles. Later.
DeleteWhat an incredible glimpse into your world.
ReplyDeleteR
Rick Watson: We are so lucky that the world is full of beauty and wonder.
DeleteBlowing bubbles in the cold, I've never thought of trying that. I will put it on my list for this winter. I am currently enjoying warm weather.
ReplyDeleteYou have captured the X-Factor in the sky. I know how they are made scientifically, but there is a form of symbolism to these sightings.
Truedessa: I often see symbolism in the beauties around me - particularly in the sky.
DeleteI love those leaves that are fuzzy with frozen dew! Gorgeous shots, EC.
ReplyDeleteJohn Wiswell: Thank you. I loved them too.
DeleteI just wish I could have been with you for that fun, frozen bubble exercise! And the frozen dew is indeed gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteLynn: I would happily have shared the fun - and nearly a week later I am still smiling.
DeleteWhat glorious pictures! The ice patterns are beautiful, and your frozen bubbles are still kinda magical, if you know what I mean. It's hard to imagine you being outside in such cold temperatures when it's so bloody hot here. Your ice bubbles help... :) If it ever gets that cold here, I'll definitely have to give the bubbles a try.
ReplyDeleteSusan: I really don't envy you the heat. It will be back here too soon for me. I think that frozen bubbles are a kind of magic. But then my inner child is very, very fond of most bubbles.
DeleteHey Sue,
ReplyDeleteAwesome photos frozen in time and I touched the screen in hopes of feeling the frosty coolness. For it be unseasonably hot here and the dog in really struggling.
Yes, you, my dear friend, do embrace the symbolism of it all within the wonder of the nature you so magically capture.
Wishing you a peaceful rest of your weekend.
Gary
klahanie: Dear Gary, I hope you and Penny get some relief from the heat. Soon. You have all my sympathies. The sweaty season turns me into the psycho bitch from hell.
DeleteYour inner child is alive and kicking! I had never heard of freezing bubbles. It looks like so much fun - some look like mushrooms, others like pearls!
ReplyDeleteMolly Bon: My inner child is often the healthiest and happiest part of me. And freezing bubbles is wonderful.
DeleteI get that feeling too when I am outside. I love that nip in the air in the fall. Your photos give me that smile too :)
ReplyDeleteDenise inVA: Cooler air suits me best - though I am well aware that lots of people don't like it at all.
DeleteYour photos does not even tell us that it is really chill outside. Rather it looks inviting and awesome.
ReplyDeletedumcho wangdi: It was all of those things. Chilly, awesome AND inviting. To me anyway.
DeleteThose bubbles are quite interesting...
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm loving your cats at the end of the blog! ^_^
Hot guys
Hot Guys: The bubbles are an annual winter treat for me. Sadly the smaller of the cats, Jewel, crossed the bridge six months ago. I still miss her and mourn. Jazz is still with us. Psychotic and much loved.
DeleteLovely photos (as usual -sorry I don't comment much. I am a lazy blog peruser)
ReplyDeleteAndrew Maclaren-Scott: Not a problem. I am aware that some people have a life.
Delete