Frosty Morning

It had been freezing cold during the night. This morning the garden was iced over, so I ventured out very carefully to replenish the water in the bird feeder. Snowy was still standing, complete with his hat and scarf, although he was looking much slimmer than when we'd first built him. 

After I'd dropped Lily off at school, I came home and ate breakfast - delicious hot porridge, drizzled with syrup, a ideal warmer for such a cold morning. It may have been chilly, but it was a gorgeous, sunny start to the day, so I decided to walk into work. The frosty landscape was sparkling and the ground crisp beneath my feet. It was the sort of cold that made your ears and fingers tingle, and I was very grateful for my woolly hat and gloves. 

It's been an funny sort of day. At work we've almost reached a stage of anything goes, and there's so much going on just now that I can hardly keep up. It's Christmas Jumper Day tomorrow, so I really mustn't forget that.

This evening I was able to collect two more Christmas gifts that I'd ordered. It sounds simple enough but the traffic was so busy that it took ages just to drive to the store and back. I'm glad I've got them though, as there's one, which I need to deliver this weekend and the other, well, I wasn't confident it would actually turn up. 

J. X

Cold and Frosty Morning

 

Thank you all for your kind and understanding words on my last two posts. I am relieved to say that after another good night's sleep, Lily has finally turned a corner and appears to be back to her usual self once more. You can probably imagine what a relief this is. 

With this in mind, I thought it was about time we got out for some gentle exercise and fresh air, with a short stroll around Grasmere. The fields were white and frosty and it felt bitterly cold. Thankfully, we were wrapped up well, it was definitely a day for big coats! You can't tell from these images but there was still snow up on the higher fells. 

We enjoyed a short walk up to Allan Bank, the local National Trust property, where they had some musicians playing Christmas Carol's, and some paper Christmas crafts available for children - we came home with two tree decorations. 

We then went for a wander through the woods before retracing our steps back towards the village.

The little Gingerbread shop was busy, and I'm not surprised. As we arrived, Lily was the first to smell the delicious aroma of freshly baked gingerbread from the opposite side of the river. And I might just have bought myself a pack :) 

In the window there was a delightful gingerbread house on display. I was a little disappointed to discover it wasn't made from actual gingerbread, but it still looked lovely and festive. 

On the way back to the car, my hands became rather chilly. I meant to put them in my pockets to keep warm, but I had already filled them with pine cones for my Christmas wreath :)

J. X

Frosty Day

It has been incredibly chilly here today, so it was a relief this evening when I could finally warm myself with a mug of hot tea.

Early this morning, the ground was covered in a light frost and the edges of the sky were tinged with a gorgeous pink glow.  The almost full moon lit my journey to work, and the air felt bitingly cold. It was a quiet and still start to my day, just the way I like it. 

I've had a hectic time of it, going back and forth. I often think I try and do too much, but then Tuesdays and Wednesdays are my busiest days. I get to catch my breath momentarily on a Thursday, before another full day on a Friday, to finish off my working week. I'm just always grateful I get to do something I enjoy :)

On my way home this evening, I noticed the Christmas tree all lit up on the village green. It looked rather lovely, and quite different to how it appears in the daylight, as is often the way. 

This evening, I have baked some mincemeat slice ready to take along to the Warm Space later in the week. It smells delicious. I hope they will enjoy it.

Tonight, I have put another blanket on my bed.

J. X

First Frost

It was a pleasant surprise to wake up to more seasonable weather yesterday. Overnight we had received our first real frost, and during my journey to walk I felt quite spoiled, being able to enjoy the quiet of the morning. The sky was clear and bright and the surrounding fields sparkled in the sunlight. A welcome change from the mild damp days we have been experiencing in recent weeks. 

Thank you so much for your kind messages regarding Mog. I am pleased to say she is completely recovered now, and back to her usual self. Even my 5am wake-up calls have been re-established! I must admit, I had been quite concerned to begin with, as until this recent setback, she had never previously shown any signs of illness. Not bad going for over seven years. And Boo appears to be growing bigger by the day. He really is the sweetest, most affectionate little ball of fluff. 

And I'm also feeling much better now. It turns out there was a virus doing the rounds at work, and thankfully I got off lightly compared to most.

Looking back, November has been a quiet month, and if I'm being honest it felt as though I had wasted some of my days. In hindsight, I think I needed this time to pause and reflect. Looking ahead, December is going to much more busy. I am still not feeling as prepared as I would like, but I hope I might be making some headway after the weekend. 

This evening, I've hung Lily's Advent stockings and tucked a festive, foil wrapped chocolate into each one. Whilst doing so, I whispered a grateful thanks to last year's me, who clearly decided it would be a far better idea to leave each individual stocking firmly tied to the garland, and saved this year's me an hour or so of unnecessary faffing. A small win, but a win nonetheless :)

J. X

Jack Frost Nipping at My Nose

It was still incredibly cold when I woke this morning. As I crept quietly downstairs and into the kitchen, my head was turned by the brightness of the full moon shining in through the window. It was beautiful. The Cold Moon, a sign of the approaching solstice, and with it the ever increasing daylight hours. I sat alone and drank my first coffee of the day, before checking the bird feeder, then hanging up the laundry to dry.

 

Just as I had promised, Lily's bedding was changed. Every Christmas she likes to use the same Santa and reindeer duvet cover that she has had for years now, and I must admit even I think it is quite cute, especially considering I'm not a fan of the bearded one! I've also bought some new fitted sheets with Christmas trees on. They're brushed cotton, so are extra cosy.

Mid morning, we wrapped up well and went out for a walk. Even in our hats, scarves and gloves it was all we could do to keep warm. The grass and leaves crunched beneath our feet, as I wrapped my scarf around just that little bit tighter, slightly regretting my decision not to wear my salopettes, as the cold air seeped through my jeans. 

A short stop off at a nearby cafe provided me with an opportunity for a quick warm up. My icy cold fingers grateful to be wrapped around a steaming mug of Hot chocolate. 

Any respite was shortlived,  however, as the return to the car was just as chilly. By this time my nose had turned pink and my fingers were going numb. I should know by now, that my body does not deal with cold weather very well, as when I got home it took me an age until i was feeling properly warm again. Thank goodness for cosy sofas and warm snuggly blankets.

This evening, I finally got around to baking a tray of mincemeat shortbread. I had originally intended to bake some individual mince pies but as we will no doubt be going out walking later on in the week, some slices of shortbread are far easier to wrap up and take with me. If, indeed, it lasts that long ;)

J. X

On a Cold and Frosty Morning

 

Yesterday, I spent much of the evening resting on the sofa, enjoying a glass of port, this last week of work before the Christmas holidays began had been joyous and exhausting in equal measure. But it wasn't without disappointment, as last night I made the sad decision to cancel our trip to Edinburgh to visit this year's Christmas markets. I must admit, it wasn't an easy decision, as I had been looking forward to it all year, having booked the hotel way back in January when I naively assumed the current situation would have vastly improved - how wrong could I have been! Having deliberated over my decision for some time, once it was reached, I felt relieved. Proof if ever was needed it was the right choice in the end. Never mind, we will still enjoy ourselves, just closer to home. And fingers crossed, we just might get there next year, although I have a feeling things will get worse before they get better.

Anyway, this morning dawned unexpectedly bright and frosty, a pleasant surprise. I discovered this as I tiptoed outside at 7am to top up the bird feeder. Two more fat balls into the cage and some clean water replacing the solid block of ice which had formed in the dish. I will need to replenish the bags of seed this week, as it looks as though the chilly weather might be with us for a while.

After a warming breakfast of porridge and compote, I took myself off for a walk alongside the river. By this time a low mist had descended over the fields and the sun had all but disappeared. Previously muddy footpaths were frozen beneath my feet and the evidence of recent storms was apparent, as I needed to make a couple of short detours to avoid fallen trees. 

It was so quiet and still there. The river flowed almost silently beside me, the fields stood empty of cattle, now that winter is almost upon us. It felt good. Restorative even. I had spent most of the last week working indoors and, although tired, the lack of any form of exercise  had left me feeling restless and twitchy. 

At the halfway point I turned away from the riverside to return along a track which ran closer to the road. A little robin kept me company for a while, jumping from post to post on the fence beside the path. Here, I quickened my pace, as by this time I was ready to return home again. The mist hung low over the fields and even though I was wrapped up well, I was beginning to feel the cold.

I've spent the rest of the day catching up with the housework and I've promised Lily I will put the Christmas duvet covers on tomorrow. Then, who knows, I might finally get around to making those mince pies.

J. X

January

 

This wasn't the start to the New Year that I'd hoped for but even though I've found the last week rather challenging, I woke this morning determined to shake myself out from my feelings of melancholy. I can't help but think that it's going to take a whole lot longer than expected before we see a change to the current situation and I need to become more accepting of this.

The snow all but disappeared overnight and today the fells were hidden from view by a dense fog. The temperature had risen above freezing for the first time in a week, and for once my morning routine did not include tentatively treading across the frosty garden to check the bird seed and replenish the water. From the kitchen window I could still see two thick discs of ice, which had been previously emptied from the water tray, laying stubbornly at the edge of the grass but even they had thawed by midday.

We're back to home learning once again and, after an intermittent start, we've got the hang of the new system. Already it seems to be working much better than the platform we used last time. Instead of completing all the work during the morning, I've been breaking it down into several short twenty minute sections slotted throughout the day, as I've discovered this more relaxed approach works better for us.

I'm still working every day, and this gives me a sense of routine and normality. 

We are getting out walking most afternoons, although keeping our routes close to home for the time being. The winter sun has been beautiful in the woods and it's lovely to see the snowdrops are almost in flower. Wearing lots of warm layers has been essential in the freezing temperatures but more often than not Lily will still insist on removing her jacket. Children just don't seem to feel the cold do they.

Christmas already feels like a long time ago and although most of our decorations were taken down last week, I've left the wooden snowflakes, a star and Lily's snow globe on display. Also, to keep a cosy glow in the kitchen I've kept my little tree in the corner, complete with lights. I'm happy to see it has some fresh green shoots on some of it's branches. 

I went for a short run this morning and as I passed by the fields which, in a few weeks, will be full of lambs, I  reminded myself spring is just around the corner. 

J. X

In Search of Snow

This morning, wrapped up warmly against the cold, we set off for our walk. The temperatures had been below freezing overnight and I wasn't going to take any chances, so we put on our salopettes and layered up. Our aim today was Binsey, a small stand alone fell to the north of Bassenthwaite. 

Slightly overcast when we began our climb, the sun was quick to break through the clouds and in the short time it took for us to reach the summit, the sky had cleared and we were treated to the most beautiful views in all directions. Then, while we were sat eating our lunch, even Skiddaw could be seen just peeping out above the clouds. With the air so crisp and still, it was tempting to stay there for longer but with Lily feeling restless we made our way back down the fell, being careful to avoid the patches of ice on the path. 

Not a bad place to enjoy some of the mincemeat shortbread I'd baked yesterday.

It would have been lovely if there had been more snow, but I'm hopeful we might see some more before the end of the week.  

J. X

Winter Weekend Walking

This morning, although I woke to the sound of birdsong, outside it is dark and damp and, unfortunately, it is not forecast to improve any time over the weekend. Last week couldn't have been more different, however, as we were treated to bright, frosty days and (occasionally) warm sunshine. The best kind of weather to go walking.

On Saturday we ventured out to a new nature reserve, to have a look around and see just what it was like. I could find very little information about it online and had no idea what to expect, so it was a pleasant surprise to discover a beautiful wooded area with bird hides overlooking several small ponds. Some of the ground was quite bare around the ponds, and it is clearly a work in progress but I'm looking forward to returning and seeing how it develops. We spent a short time in the hides but our interest lay elsewhere this time, as we were hoping to catch a glimpse of the deer which  reside in the woods.

Can you just about see them through the trees?

We walked the clear pathways, weaving our way through the trees, which occasionally opened out towards the fields where there were platforms and benches to allow us to relax and enjoy the views. We saw pheasants and rabbits, and it was exciting to have the deer run past us many times, only for them to hide away in a quiet place amongst the trees again.

It felt magical to be the only people in the woods and especially to see the deer (I just wish I was faster with my camera). As we were leaving we enjoyed a chat with the manager of the reserve who had just arrived with his camera, hoping to catch sight of the deer as well. We will definitely be going back in the spring.

The following morning I had plans for a slightly higher walk but was unsure about exactly where to go. I changed my mind several times but by Saturday evening had decided on a gentle climb up Helm Crag, which overlooks the village of Grasmere. I've done this walk on many occasions but this time intended to extend it slightly by including the summit of Gibson Knott. It was perfect weather for the walk and, although the path was sometimes icy, it could be easily avoided and the still air meant that, for once, we could enjoy our picnic lunch at the summit and enjoy the views, then we made our way along the ridge to Gibson Knott before returning to Grasmere along the Far Easedale track.

Helm Crag to the left.

On our ascent looking up the Easedale valley.

Sour Milk Gill in the distance.

Steel Fell to the left. A walk for another day.

Gibson Knott from Helm Crag.

Steel Fell again and the Helvellyn range.

Gibson Knott summit.

Looking back towards Helm Crag from Gibson Knott.

Yet she still has enough energy to climb!

J.X