THE BEAST ARRIVES!

Oh my, so loving this.   If you're fed up with images of snow, look away now. The last time we had snow was eight years ago, so I feel the need to document the event.

There is a dichotomy here,  in that I  feel selfish for loving this weather when there are people out there sleeping rough. I know there are protocols in the UK when these weather conditions hit and should you see someone sleeping rough, once reported, help is sent to them.  I cannot imagine being in such a situation and my heart goes out to anyone living this way.   I also feel for livestock and wildlife and with lambing underway,  farmers must be struggling.  The timing couldn't be worse, but thankfully it will be very short lived here in Somerset as temperatures are set to rise and rain is due tomorrow.

This is the view from the bathroom window. This orchard is a great source of enjoyment for me, as there is always something of interest, rabbits, foxes, birds of all kinds. A slightly demented woodpecker will be visiting when the weather warms up. He loves to peck at the metal part of a telegraph pole, which makes quite a din and must be painful. 

 I wanted a picture from the front of the house, over the fields, but the rain had frozen on the outside of the glass to form this lovely pattern.

 The raised pond froze and then filled with snow.  Don't worry, there are no fish in there.

The garden is protected from the north easterly winds that are bringing the snow, by a high wall. Mr. went out and topped up the bird feeders and filled the tray below, as we have a large population of sparrows in this area, as well as other birds.  Last week I looked out of the bedroom window to see the field opposite pickled with them, pecking the ground.  I went to check the feeders and they were empty.  Literally minutes after topping them up, they descended, filling the trees in the garden, waiting their turn to feed. When I checked the field again, not surprisingly, it was empty.

You might just see a little nest full of snow in the pic below.  Once the foliage returns, this little nest will be well used. Robins return year on year to this spot which is great as I can watch them from the kitchen window without disturbing them.

I was hoping to build a snowman....Mr. thinks I'm a big kid (he's correct in that assumption) but this snow is so dry, you can't even make a snowball.

 This is the porch wall, which looks shiny. It's coated in thick ice, and the window also has an attractive ice layer on it.

Mr. struggled down to work this morning, but returned an hour later as most people had phoned to cancel, as was expected, so a nice day at home together. He spotted this and had to hang out of the upstairs window to snap it....our Aga flue....it's a man thing!

We're having problems getting our hounds outside for toilet breaks, as apparently they don't like snow!  I could accept this from Pearl, as she is a bit of a diva and doesn't like the cold, but Elsie's from Romania, where arctic winters are commonplace. It's quite hilarious actually, as we have to hoof them out, but my goodness, they're quick about it, once outside.  Elsie's still not happy wearing her sweater, little madam.

Well, the log burner is lit, as are the remaining twinkle lights and yes, a candle or two.  The wind is whipping down the chimney in an eerie fashion, which is very atmospheric and we're snuggled in for the day...bliss.

Hope your're safe and warm, wherever you are.