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.