Sunday 28 February 2010

Sunday 28.02.2010


Was going to wax lyrical about my walk this morning: blue skies, snow meringues and a chippy little breeze keeping it all fresh. But I`ve driven home from work tonight on white roads through mini-blizzards, the fast moving, snow-laden clouds dramatically back-lit by the full moon and I am beginning to wonder if you can have too much of a beautiful thing.

Thursday 25 February 2010

Thursday 25.02.2010



Snow`s been steadily piling up all day as if it`s never going to stop. Went into the garden to find a cabbage and had to ferret down about 2 feet to locate one.
Even dog has been loath to leave the fire. It`s in the race memory, as we learn from the old stories, ever since the first Wild Dog was lured into subservience by the smell of roasted mutton: "Wild Dog crawled into the Cave and laid his head on the Woman`s lap and said,` O my Friend and Wife of my Friend, I will help your Man to hunt through the day, and at night I will guard your Cave.`"*

The Wild Cat, naturally, was not so gullible, which is why (as you will discover if you read the story to the end) all proper dogs chase cats up trees. It`s the shame.
*(The Cat That Walked By Himself by Rudyard Kipling)

Wednesday 24 February 2010

Wednesday 24.02.2010

Lots more of the white stuff: like Lux soap flakes swirling around in the wind. Going to need as many different ways to describe it as the Inuit are supposed to have. Car`s marooned at the bottom of the hill again and the road`s narrowing by the minute as the drifts build up. Spent the evening in front of the fire catching up on the papers with a shot of whisky and those self-styled "rockmongers", Radcliffe and Maconie,* "purveyors of rock nerd banter" while the storm raged on. Magic.
*(Radio 2 Mon-Thurs 8-10pm)

Tuesday 23 February 2010

Monday 22.02.2010











The air stays cold despite the sun and it`s so still it feels as if the planet is holding its breath. Running out of superlatives: crunchy sparkling snow, icicles that look like delicate glass Christmas decorations on the conifers, hundreds of tiny tracks criss-crossing the snow. Dog and I could have kept going all day. Driving home from work tonight though there were clouds and flurries of snow so maybe change is on its way........

Wednesday 17 February 2010

Wednesday 17.02.2010



Just been out and it`s freezing. More stars than possible and a banana-moon hanging over the trees. Nine hours ago it was also breathtakingly, stop-and-stare-a-lot glorious: primrose sun in an ice-blue sky and diamante wherever you looked after yesterday`s snow. It hung on the branches of deciduous trees like cherry blossom but was avalanching noisily off the evergreens - do they absorb the warmth of the sun more efficiently? No five pound notes today but did spot a snow-snail.

Monday 15 February 2010

Monday 15.02.2010

Had intended going to the cinema before work today but it turned into such a beautiful morning that dog and I went walking. Brilliant, almost warm sunshine, spectacular clouds, snow skirting the fields and edging the road and lots of running water: a sparkly day.
Back home, hopped in the shower, belting out Holding Out For A Hero along with Bonnie Tyler, then dried off with a quick bop to the Foo Fighters and ate my lunch with Flogging Molly advising me to keep my boat afloat. Bliss.
When I receive my e-card from King William and am asked the secret of my longevity, (or longlevity as a friend once described it, a state to which I aspire even more) I shall reply:
1.Dance and sing wherever and whenever possible providing you`re not frightening the horses.
2.Never forego the opportunity to go to the loo.
3.Never pass up the chance to go for a walk.
Even if Colin Firth has to wait.

Sunday 14 February 2010

Sunday 14.02.2010




You never know what`ll happen or what you`ll see. Today, in short order :
- red and purple beets squatting on the snow
- fierce looking snow-streaked hills
- a young man dressed in yellow waterproofs looking for two missing dogs
- a lady who stopped especially to tell me how nice it was to see someone walking
- a soggy five pound note lying on the verge
I walked home scanning the horizon for the missing dogs, buoyed up by the friendly lady and planning, as strictly speaking it is not mine but I can hardly return it to anyone, to spend the money in one of my favourite charity shops. I hope they found the dogs.

Wednesday 10 February 2010

Wednesday 10.02.10




Harbingers of Spring:a sun with some warmth in it; a lark suspended invisibly miles up singing its heart out; snowdrops; busy crows in `Edmond`s Copse`**; melting snow pouring off the fields; a happy dog chasing her tail for the sheer joy of it......the thing about weather is that there`s always something happening and nothing stays the same. Bit like life really.
** "Edmond strode on down the hill, hoping that his friends the crows would talk to him when he got to the copse.
"They didn`t let him down. They had seen him coming and he had barely got under the branches of the trees when they came swarming out of their nests, calling, `Cor,cor,cor,`as they came."

(Edmond Went Far Away by Martin Bax and illustrated by the brilliant Michael Foreman.)
I will try not to let this blog degenerate into constant recommendations of books and films. I will fail.

Sunday 7 February 2010

Sunday 07.02.2010

The grass appearing from under the snow is covered in little burrow holes and tracks: the mice have obviously had a Snow Ball:
"When the snows are lying deep,
When the field has gone to sleep,
When the blackthorn turns to white,
And frosty stars bejewel the night,
When summer streams are turned to ice,
A Snow Ball warms the hearts of mice."

(from Brambly Hedge: A Winter Story by Jill Barklem)

Friday 5 February 2010

Friday 05.02.2010

At work all day so time for a short walk at lunchtime. Slightly milder and plenty of green on which to rest the eyes but still a lot of snow about and more to come next week apparently. Just finished watching The Wave. Powerfully done regardless of whether the `true story` is actually true or not. Good music too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbTkdqYivuw

Wednesday 3 February 2010

Wednesday 03.02.2010

I could get used to these night ramblings. Abandoned the car again and this time it was Nanook of the North, head bent against the wind which was whipping stinging blasts of snow at me. Sheep, huddled together by the fence, scuttled away and then turned to stare. Quite spooky, hundreds of pairs of ovine eyes glittering in the moonlight, following your every move.

Monday 1 February 2010

Monday 01.02.2010

Eleven minutes into February (and one of those good forward and backward dates) and I`ve just returned from a fantastic journey home from work. I`d white-knuckled 30 miles through sporadic but fierce snow showers blizzarding across the road causing temporary whiteouts, to step out of the car at the bottom of the hill into another world. The wind had dropped,a bright moon shone out of a clearing sky onto the snow (is there anything more beautiful?)and as I trudged home I had to keep stopping to simply take it all in. In fact so stunning was it that when I arrived home dog and I went for a little stroll, only to be rewarded with the eery screech of foxes echoing out of the woods. Doggone it - it is such a privilege to live up here!