Snow Days

Brrrr! It has been very chilly indeed here this week, culminating in the arrival of snow yesterday morning. School was closed and so I have had two whole Snow Days off work, the first in 5 years. Hooray! We've all been holed up here with occasional trips out to the local shop (where the shelves are starting to look rather empty) or the garden, and it's been very relaxing. I'm aware that it's not so relaxing for others who've been caught out in it, or who have had no heating or power, and we count ourselves lucky enough to be able to enjoy the arrival of snow. 

Not so lucky are the poor flowers in our garden which were just getting going in the sunshine I mentioned in my last post. After the first snowfall yesterday morning I found, along with some droopy hellebores and crocuses, this lovely double primrose,

and these brave little tete-a-tete daffodils. We've had a lot more snow since then, and they now can't be seen.

Our windowsill hyacinths are faring much better in the warmth of the central heating.

Out in the garden, flower beds and pot plants have disappeared under a blanket of white. 

And I'm making sure to keep the birds well-fed.

I've done a fair bit of staying indoors keeping warm, and baked brownies yesterday which don't last long in our house.

I love the way snow lights up the interior of our house and reflects back the light, and like to light candles which flicker prettily against the snowy background. However, by lunchtime today I was beginning to feel a little stir-crazy.

So this afternoon P and I pulled on our wellies and woollies, and set off out of the house into the cold air. It was strange to be out, walking along our road, surrounded by other walkers and virtually no traffic. Snow muffles sounds and I enjoyed that familiar squeaky sound of walking on snow. Soon we were into the countryside, in the same lane and fields we walked in here.

The fields had been transformed into a bleak, white landscape.

Overhead flew fieldfares, and redwings chattered and flew in and out of the hedges.

Sheep bleated and occasionally leaped and jumped, a sign that spring is coming.

Seedheads made neat outlines against the snow.

A tiny wren and a blackbird hopped along the frozen stream, out of the wind.

Out of the trees and over our heads flew a barn owl, and we watched it fly in wide circles overhead, looking for food. It was magical.

As the light began to fade we walked home through the rutted snow, and I was very glad we'd ventured outside. Before long it'll all be gone and the landscape will return to normal again.

February Already

Well here we are in February, and I must say the weather has been very unsettled indeed. Today it's absolutely wild outside - very blowy, wet and so, so cold. I just can't seem to get warm. On Saturday it blew a gale and bucketed down all day, creating little rivulets of water and giant puddles across roads and in fields. Some of our fence panels blew down and trees everywhere are being lashed and buffeted by the wind. This is the month when most of the daffodils flower in these parts, and they are so welcome. There have been a couple in bloom in our garden, but I have been enjoying them already in bunches from the shops on our dining room table. Aren't these pale ones pretty?

 January seemed to fly by so quickly that I now realise I didn't show you this year's calendar. I make one every year on-line from the photos that I take in the preceding year. Here's January's page.

And now February's.

 P and I went to buy vegetables at our local farm shop this weekend and, feeling very damp and windswept afterwards, we decided to visit their lovely cafe. I took a photo of the gorgeous cafe lighting which always lifts my spirits. Isn't it sparkly, and not at all what you'd expect in a farm shop?

I especially like the giant dandelion clocks.

We had a rather naughty (in my case) cake and coffee there. I haven't been to the gym for almost two weeks as I managed to catch a fluey bug/cold and ended up being ill over last weekend and a good deal of last week. I got through a lot of tissues and many cups of tea, and I'm still full of cold.

After several achey days in bed and on the sofa, blowing my nose and trying to sleep, I got back to work again, and was pleased to go on a school trip which is my favourite of all work trips - a poetry conference. It's the third time I've been and students get to see poets whose poems are on the GCSE syllabus reading and answering questions about their poems in the flesh. Listening to them read their work and talk about the process of writing was so inspiring, and I had a lovely day. The students enjoyed it too.
Creatively I didn't do a great deal last week. I picked up my knitting a few times, but didn't have enough oomph, although my scarf is nearing the end now. I did, however, finish crocheting this little basket from the last skein of hand-dyed and spun wool which I'd ordered at the same time as the wool I used in my last post.

I love the soft shades of mauve and green together.

In the house my bulbs are blooming beautifully. The pink hyacinths are so fragrant in the kitchen.

And the little pots of tete-a-tete daffodils have been a delight. This one produced a ten-petalled flower whilst all the others had six.

This gorgeous red tulip has flowered too. Its goblet-shaped bloom sits above graceful leaves, and shiny brown bulbs.

Before I leave you, I thought I'd let you know how my Big Bird Watch went last weekend. I wasn't feeling very well, so watched them for an hour from inside the house on a cold, sunny Saturday afternoon. Here is the grand total of birds who visited the feeders: 1 starling. Yes, one single starling. The next day I tried again. It was wet and windy and I had a slightly better success-rate: 4 starlings and a wood-pigeon. Later in the week I popped into the back garden for 5 minutes and saw: 1 robin, 2 blue tits, 1 blackbird, 2 collared doves and a sparrow - where were they when I needed them? Oh well, better luck next year.

I did manage to take some photos of a starling which I was happy with.

I do love their chattering nature and glossy, iridescent plumage.

Finally I'll share this book with you. I bought it last week and have the crochet version already. I'm definitely looking forward to starting one of its small projects as soon as my scarf is done.

Have a good week all x

This Week

Hello there, and thank you for all your lovely comments on my last post which was all about poetry. I must confess that when I wrote it I was a bit worried that it might be met with a rather quiet response. However, I should have known better, and I was delighted to discover that you enjoy poetry too - yay! It was fascinating to hear about your favourite poems and to hear about why they're special to you. 

This week has been pretty chilly with a good deal of stormy weather. Last weekend I managed to do a bit of gardening: tidying up dead perennials, a bit of weeding and some pruning. It felt good to be outside digging the soil and being active, and I spent an hour or so in my shed afterwards.

Some muscari which I bought from a supermarket a week ago are doing well and will bloom soon, and brighten up the shed with their wonderful blue-ness. I can't wait.

Yesterday they were in bud next to their scented cousins, the hyacinths. Such a lovely spicy, springtime smell.

At Christmas I bought another Mark Hearld concertina card decorated with a scene of winter birds. It's in my shed too, reminding me of the birds outside in the garden.

This weekend I plan to take part in the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch, spending an hour watching the birds in my garden, and taking part in the survey. I already sent off for a pack and have refilled the feeders ready for our feathered visitors.

As you can see, Clover took an active interest, hanging about while I put out the seeds. Not sure the birds appreciated this.

I can see this might not work. Cats are not ideal birdwatching companions.

Whilst I was out in the garden I had a look round to see what was blooming, and discovered that there is a surprising amount of colour out at the moment. Outside our back door is this potted rosemary.

Looking at its flowers closely you can see how very blue and delicately marked they are.

There are pretty frilly primroses,

sweet violas,

hardy little snowdrops,

spotty-leaved pulmonarias,

richly-coloured and scented wallflowers,

bell-shaped heather

and shyly nodding hellebores,

delicately freckled and patterned.

And indoors on the window-sill a bright vase of sugary pink tulips glow in the sunshine.

More indoor flowers were to be enjoyed at my friend Jane's house which is where I spent a very pleasant afternoon last weekend. We have been friends a long time and share a love of making things, gardening and baking. When we can we take turns to go to each others' houses for a creative afternoon. Jane had prepared a very cosy corner with pretty miniature daffodils and a scented candle. Bliss. We had an inspiring time together sketching, sewing, crocheting and knitting.

It was lovely to chat and bounce ideas for projects around, as well as seeing what each other are making. 

Jane is talented and sells her brooches and artwork on Etsy - you can visit her shop here. It was fun to be surrounded by someone else's creations for a change, and very relaxing.

We drank tea, ate slices of stollen, and I started to crochet a basket from some chunky handspun wool which I bought online a few years ago. 

I finished it this week. Can you see the little star beads which have been spun into the yarn on the inside of the basket? I bought this gorgeous yarn here, as well as the yarn which I used to make my autumn garland and crocheted pot in this post.

It makes a good container to keep my wool in.

Or my knitting. I do like baskets, don't you?

This week I discovered overnight oats, as recommended by Jane. I had never heard of them, but after a bit of online research I discovered that they are quite a big thing. You may well know about them already. Not sure how I missed them, but I think they are the answer to my breakfast dilemma: I know porridge is delicious, healthy and excellent for keeping weight off, but I never seem to have enough time to make it before work. Overnight oats, however, make themselves. You simply put rolled oats in a container with milk, yoghurt, or a dairy alternative like soya, almond or coconut milk, and leave it in the fridge until morning. You can also add fresh fruit, like berries or banana, dried fruit, nuts, seeds, and a sweetener like honey or peanut butter. You can even add cocoa powder the night before. That's all a bit rich for me first thing in the morning, so I kept mine quite plain with milk, walnuts, seeds and a little honey. Delicious. Thanks, Jane.

I shall leave you with two glorious sunrises this week. The colours are so gorgeous, I don't mind that they signal unsettled weather for the day ahead. As far as I'm concerned they're a great way to start the day.

See you soon x