Still nippy

I’ve just come in for lunch and it’s now hovering around -4C, but there’s no wind so it’s quite pleasant if you’re working.

The chickens aren’t too pleased as their outside water keeps freezing over and they’re too lazy to go back in to use the inside water.

The pigs are very happy, though, as they just got their last bucket of chopped marrows - we still have six stored for us and a pumpkin, but that was the last of the fodder ones.

Bitterly cold

I’ve just come in to thaw - it was -11C at 5.45 this morning and has now warmed up to -8C.

The 15mm mesh on the chicken run has closed up entirely with the ice crystals, giving the effect of a very large lace doily.

The trees all have that lovely tracery of ice, but the best effect is on the fence posts and grass, which all have inch-long ice crystals growing horizontally out of them.

Still, I’m about to have scrambled eggs and bacon for breakfast and the fire is blazing merrily, so I’m quite comfortable.