
After a night of freezing temperatures, rain and then light snow the footpaths and untreated lanes were a skating rink as Penny found out when she did her impersonation of Bambi on the frozen lake. I was safe as I had dug out the old pair of shoes I keep fitted with ice spikes:

It won't be too long before birds start investigating nesting places. This year I am trying out a WoodStone nestbox:

Although I knew it was made with a mixture of concrete and wood (sawdust?) it is a lot heavier than I expected. A good job it comes complete with a hefty screw in hook to hang it on.