Shimmering colors in the icy air

I welcome the clean, crisp and austere air of January.

It doesn't mean no richness.

The bracing air and the big difference from the sparkles of December

make me into the mood for starting afresh in the New Year.

It was an icy cold and mostly overcast morning at the Umami Hills Park.

Seen from the distance, the surface of a pond apparently looked murky.

When the lens of my camera was zoomed up, I saw shimmering leaves

on the drab water with dark reflections of the trees.

(The photos both above and below.)

In the wider view, scenery was quiet in colors.

I focused on brighter colors.

Here is the subtle beauty of muted colors, the weathered flowers and leaves of "shimotsuke-so", 

or Filipendula multijuga, which is a species of plant in the family Rosaceae that is native to Japan.

Roses seem to last to mid-January at this park.

I think the image below shows well the air of January.

The colored leaves survived from the last autumn were shimmering in the icy, 

translucent air.

I'm sad to see the worsening COVID crisis in most countries including mine.

I wonder if my country's lenient State of Emergency without legal authority will be effective

when there are many people behaving as they like despite the situation.

But the shimmering leaves in the darker scene look like a Hope whispering I'm here.

Today is Coming of Age Day, one of the most important rites of passage.

Congratulations for coming of age!

Linked to Mosaic Monday