COLD! SNOW! POTATO DAY!! BURNS.

First some chilly pics -

Cold weather at last - hopes it deals with some of the garden pests including the munching slugs. It won't make much difference to the squirrels though - cheeky as ever. I am waiting for them to come in through the door (opening it first) and raid the fridge.

I have seen two chaffinches with foot disease today and wonder if it is becoming more common. It is caused by Fringilla papillomavirus and affects other finches like bramblings.

It snowed last night and is snowing again - we have about 4 inches now.

So we have just come back from the above and R bought Dahlia Bishop of Llandaff (the red one) and three packs of seeds - butternut squash, courgette and beetroot boltardy. Well, one has to feed the snails and slugs with something. 
We had soup, a cuppa and cake there. It is always funny going back to Greenodd as I was born only 150 yards up the Coniston Road. The hall tables are laid out with boxes of seed potatoes, rhubarb, horseradish, dahlias, onion sets, garlic, and there are fruit bushes and trees and seed packets.

Potato Day

SUNDAY 17th JANUARY 2016

10 am until 3 pm : GREENODD VILLAGE HALL

Choose from over 120 varieties of potatoes, fruit canes, onion sets, shallots, seeds, dahlia tubers, fruit trees etc.

HOMEMADE SOUP & CAKE for sale

I thought the rabbits would be curled up snugly in their burrows but here is one under the small oak sheltering.

Monday - well, that didn't last very long - thaw already set in and snow going. By evening it is 90% gone - short winter?

Tuesday and I have a new arrival to deal with the long grass on the banking. It is a metal bladed Flymo and all I need now is a long extension lead with a safety cut out plug. 
Quite like the colour. I had a similar one some years ago but it died - Flymo RIP.
R and I have been around the garden and there are signs of snowdrops flowering - and a lot of mess. One stream disappears into a hole in its bed and reemerges thirty yards away by some tree roots. To get there the water has to flow underneath another stream!

Wednesday and a beautiful cold morning again - can't quite get used to this dry weather. The mowers are coming back after servicing. I am cooking tonight (don't faint) and have picked some Brussels Sprouts - no nasty creepy crawlies so far.

Here are a couple more snowy pics - from Sunday. The back field with sheep and rooks starting to gather and begin nesting and looking back down the track up to the house. There were only two sets of footprints - mine and Megatron the black cat from down the road. The last one is looking the other way at the house.

I have just looked at my hands and they are muck up from the garden. No wonder the keyboard gets a bit grubby!

Thursday - rain is back, I am inside looking out.
Friday - rain is back, I am inside looking out.
Friday afternoon - sun is out and I have fed the birds (and of course, unintentionally the squirrels).

Monday is is Burns' Night so we are celebrating it tonight  - that is (Saturday) and the old tartan tie will need to be sought. (My mother was a Hay) (So, perhaps, I can just get away with it?)
And, of course - My love is like a red, red Rose! (In joke for those who know.)
I can see snowdrops flowering on the upper banking and even outside the kitchen door. Things are a-stirring.  That is except the rose that continues to flower whatever the date.
What else? I have just tried to descale the kettle but it will need a second go and have ordered a replacement car for the 8 year old one we have. Now I will need an electric socket!
All this is very garden I don't think.

Time to don me Wellies after a coffee in town - however it might be raining by this afternoon and . . . . .
But it did not rain till 5pm so I went out and tined wet lawn, raked bankings so the snowdrops showed up better and carted fallen sticks to the bonfire. 

I wonder if I can remember the words to 'Ye banks and braes o bonny Doon'?

Didn't need to - was regaled by Tam o' Shanter, ate cock a leekie soup, haggis, tatties and neeps and excellent puds to be finished off perfectly with a wee dram of Lagavulin single malt whisky. Good company and great hosts!