Joys of Winter

Redpolls in a silver birch - you paint a lovely picture of the joys of winter.

Quite made my morning.

Happy to have made you happy, butternut!

lucky sod!

This time of the year brings out all the wonderful mushrooms and toadstools. We go doggy walking through part of the Forest and this particular area always has a wonderful collection - it is very slightly damp underfoot so excellent for them to grow. I love the sound of leaves on the ground, don't mind raking them up and putting into my compost bin. Have just laid compost over some of the beds and I'm really pleased with it - just the right mixture.
I just don't like the darker evenings, it's not going to be too long before I'm coming home from work in the dark.

Is that the New Forest dorset? Haven't been down there for ages. Think a day trip is coming up.

We used to have family holidays at Setthorns, Forestry Commission campsite.

It's lovely to walk up my lane with the dog, crunching on fallen leaves and acorns (and the occasional snail - ooops!). Lovely misty mornings and the horses in the field wrapped up in their coats. I don't like dark evenings, either - glad to have retired and no longer driving home on a crowded motorway. Looking forward to being snowed in, pantry stocked up, and me and the dog lounging around with old films to enjoy on the tv.

None! Looking forward to the SPRING

I love putting the garden to bed in the autumn, and have spent the afternoon cutting back my lavender bushes which encased me in their wonderful scent.

I look forward to the spring too, goldengirl. I remember Mum saying it was the best of times when the trees put on their new spring coats.

Throwing a log on the, newly installed, log burner!..............er is there a smug icon?

Have a lovely snug (smug) evening.

We're having one too, with one of our wood-burning stoves .

Two jays eating hen food, and snow on the Arrochar hills. A little on The
Cobbler, a little more on Beinn Narnain, and a little more again on Beinn Ime . Couldn't see them yesterday for stair-rods but it's a wee bit clearer today, as well as colder.

And the redpolls are back!

Oh! They brought some siskins with them! It's popular, our silver birch. Now I need to go and do some work. Bagsing off.

And, despite the fact that the leaves haven't dropped yet, the garden robin was at the back door early this morning looking hopeful.

ariadne.

Goldfinches too, now.

Our blackbird brothers are stripping the beautiful berries off our Transitoria.

Will it be a hard winter I wonder?

Low morning sun set the countryside on fire. Stunning.

Sun before seven, rain by eleven.

How lovely, butternut! We get some lovely late afternoon light that does that in the winter months. Also pink dawns that make the hills pink too if they have snow on them.

Getting out of bed to go to the lav on these pre-heating mornings and getting really cold. Then snuggling back in the warm.

Delicious.

Sorry to lower the tone.

Oh well, it won't rain here then, jingle, because the sun isn't up at seven at this time of year! Still pissed down the last couple of days, but we have sunshine today.

Today the blackbirds have started on the yellow rowan berries. They won't touch them until all the red ones are finished and some years there are still yellow ones left at Christmas. The temperature has been down in single figures most days this week, so when the geraniums, petunias and begonias are done, it will be time to fill the pots with bulbs.