Saturday 4 February

9am.  Various bowls and buckets are frozen by over 3".  The waterbutt is frozen solid despite its location beside the back door and closeness to the tumble drier vent.  The ground is, as the carol goes, 'hard as iron'.  A light breeze rustles the few remaining leaves.  Small birds chirrupping in the hedge make occasional forays to the bird feeder and return to huddling balls of feathers, tantalisingly just out of reach of next door's cat.  The garden is frozen in time, awaiting the thaw.

10am.  It's snowing, again.  Large flakes flurry on invisible turbulences and land, silently.  They appear to be trying to stick.  On any other day this is lovely.  Today however, this is bad news, being our daughter's birthday we have family coming and a party to go to.