The first snow of winter …

… arrives very early in 2012 – by 27 October, even the lowlands are covered in a thick blanket of light powder snow. This creates wonderful and unusual photo opportunities with rare colour contrasts, as grasses, bushes and trees are still wearing their colourful leaves or autumn blossoms and are now heavily covered in snow. Many trees have their branches hanging low, weighed down by this extra burden; occasionally, they can’t withstand the weight and snap.