Forecast of significant snow.........but sadly our visitors have gone

Parson Brown the snowman

Well the news tonight is telling us that there is a 'significant' chance of alot of snow again - maybe enough for another snowman like Parson Brown - who welcomed our winter holiday house sitters when they arrived on the 22nd December to look after the homestead to let me go 'sooth' - very cheerful he was too - and he did look wonderful in his bowler hat! I'm hoping the snow might be kind and come - but not block us in too much - be nice if my otherhalf actually managed to visit this month! We'll see, won't we?!

A Peedie puppy in the quadrat - I'm writing this work up now, but I won't mention the puppy's help!

Today has been a day of writing up in the office (more significant values, but of a different kind!) and a bit of a walk with the doggie around the block at work - alot of gardens looking a bit sad and soggy - but nevertheless nice to hear the birdies and have a little plod with the puppy. The birds are still mobbing the bird table at home, a few pheasants as well as many, many starlings!A glum looking kind of a dark day, but on the positive side the day length has started to increase and we're seeing a change everyday. Couple minutes in the morning and in the evening will soon make all the difference here.  I just can't wait - slowly things will get a bit lighter and then we'll be overwhelmed with day light!

A few casualties in the garden - looks like the Hebes I planted earlier in late autumn have not survived - but I'll leave that a while and see what actually pops up if anything.  I've a few runners of mint from my friends garden in Linconshire to propagate later - for now they've gone into a fishbox of soil outside - with more alpine strawberries and we've been given a beautiful purple Hazel seedling which is now tucked into a wardrobe cold frame outside. Apart from that - not much out there at all, no winter colour, no bulbs coming up yet - just a very soggy garden. Which until a wee while ago hid under the snow - which disrupted our poor visitors on thier way up - but thankfully they got here eventually!

Chickens do like being looked after, these ones were spoiled when we were off over the holidays! Thank you guys.

The hens are very happy and loved being looked after by our lovely house-sitting-fellow-blogging visitors - who were very kind to them and kept them well fed, warm and very wonderfuly looked after (Thank you Daffy!). I'm looking forward to seeing some of her photos! The wonderful visitors did seem very taken with the clever chickens, who are now being very well behaved, they've trained them well during their looking after our home holiday!

Thank you Daffy!!