Bah, Humbug mk II

After a few normal days, it's back to snow & bloody cold weather again.

The five day forecast shows all the temps - night & day - in blue, meaning below freezing, so it looks like the couple of inches of snow which fell on Friday & Saturday will be hanging around for the foreseeable. I'd show you, but I can't work out how to copy & paste the screen shot thing - the formatting comes out all funny when I try.

So that means being confined to barracks again & not being able to get to the Hill - but on the plus side, the tree is up & looking good ready for Christmas next weekend, & Oliver cat has taken up timeshares between my lap & being in front of the fire.

It's not so bad, really.

Lucky Birds & Monster Veg

Nothing lasts forever - although that snow & ice seemed to, I must say - & so with a thaw late last week we can all get out & about & back to normal again.

Good.

Sorry Chris, you can keep the white stuff.

With big sister Helen up this weekend, we did some garden centre shopping (& tea & toasted teacake eating, naturally) - my Christmas tree now bought from the wonderful Pacific Nurseries, to be delivered tomorrow, & whilst we were browsing, this chap caught our eye.

Like most garden centres, Pacific has a sales area under cover, but unlike other garden centres it cordons off the part of the sales area where the robins decide where they would like to build their nest in Spring, so they can raise their youngsters in peace. What nice people.

The robins know that they are on to a good thing here - it must be heaven - this one was very much at home here by the bird food display.

Home via the Hill to dig a couple of parsnips - one was rather forked, but this one is a cracker - can't wait to roast all 2 and a half foot of it!

I might not be getting many veg from the Hill at the moment, but when you grow parsnips this big, that doesn't seem to be a problem!

Bah, Humbug

The whole country, it seems, is in the grip of Winter, & has been for a good couple of weeks. That's proper snowy, icy, temperatures-down-to-minus 10, schools closed, transport grinding to a halt, check-on-your-neighbours WINTER.

On the plus side, it has been extremely pretty; I work from home, so don't have to brave the elements; the shops are but a short walk away, I have a freezer & plenty of supplies; & plenty of warmth.

But I really have had enough of it now. It is still lethal underfoot with ice, freezing cold, & the reward that I have had for being Mrs Sensible & not driving? A flat battery.

I have not been to the Hill for three weeks - and then only for the AGM - as the chances of being able to do anything or to dig up any parsnips is nil. Fortunately the cabbage the-size-of-your-head which I cut at the beginning of November is quite happy keeping in the fridge having portion after portion of crisp white tightly packed leaves sliced off each day.

And yes, I know we'd all be bored of the same weather all the time, & it is extremely festive - but really.

Bah, humbug.