Spring through a Veneer of Winter

If you like the snow, read on. If you’ve had enough of it, bear with me; I’ve got some lovely pictures of ice – well, I think they’re lovely anyway… 😊

It’s been much colder this winter than it has for years and now with the “Beast from the East” forecast to come over Britain this week, it’s freezing. I have confirmation of this because my weather station (a.k.a my cat Boots) has decided to stay in much more.

I wondered if it would be a harsh winter because the holly berries were out much earlier last year and they say that if they’re out early it’ll be a hard winter. I took a photo of the berries last September which you can see in this post:

http://rustyandboots.blogspot.co.uk/2017/09/autumn-equinox.html

The other day I found two perfect ice discs on top of Boots’s outside water bowls and each day they’ve got thicker.

I’m now judging the temperature by the thickness of the ice on the water. This one is practically a bowl in itself:

This morning the whole bowlful was frozen. You can see Boots’s tail there too in the bottom right corner.

The thing is, it’s like having two seasons at the same time; it’s freezing, icy and snowing yet the daffodils and crocuses are out.

I couldn’t resist taking this photo. It’s like seeing spring through a veneer of winter.

The patterns in the ice are amazing. When you look closely, you can see ripples, bubbles and different structures within.

It’s St David’s Day here in Wales, so a Happy St David’s Day to everyone whether you’re in the snow or not. What have you been doing? Do you enjoy the snow or do you hate it? Let me know in the comments.

Stay warm and stay safe. I’m off to get my toboggan! 🏂☃😉