Freezing

I am so glad we have a boiler that works to warm the house, and that I have an electric blanket for my bed during this long cold "snap" of freezing weather, although as yet we only have a light dusting of snow. Enough to make my stepping stones look pretty, with their tiny Japanese lantern ready to light the beginning.

My collection of acers in pots may not like the temperatures, but the Buddha looks good with a snowy hat! Some tender plants just won't recover - hebes. bamboos and others will just not survive consistently being frozen.

In Britain we are warmed by the Gulf Stream and - as my geography teacher used to say - warm wet westerly winds in winter. But since Christmas this has not been so, and the warm westerlies have been thwwarted by a large immovable airmass, and we have been having totally different winds blowing in freezing air from the arctic and Siberia, and it has been literally freezing.

We use the term loosely usually. to just mean cold. But temperatures have been below zero for nearly two weeks and we are not used to it! I feel a bit trapped as I really enjoy getting out and about in the countryside or even in the garden, and the ground is icy, slippery and treacherous underfoot. And I havent got strategies to deal with these sort of conditions built into my psyche or my way of life!

But I walk up into our field whenever I can. Youngest Daughter and I, and behind us you can see the group of new houses (our Old School is out of view just to the left)

Isnt he handsome?

We are very protected in this part of Dorset, and often have warmer weather than areas just a few miles away (we are close to the sea) and its been like it this time. No deep snowfall yet, despite other parts of England having had snow since before Christmas. But enough to get the sledge out - we have had it for over forty years and for some of that time it was used as a TV stand.

This is my future Son in Law and his dog about to descend from the top of the field (his pigs are behind him) We have at least another few days of this weather to come, and maybe more, but the stubborn air mass may be shifting soon. I doubt our nation will ever get used to "freezing" for more than a day or two at a time. Hopefully it will just be an interlude to remember.