Finally, winter is showing itself. We have had sub-zero nighttime temperatures for a few days now and they look set to go on for a few more. We have had a few short spells of snow; some accumulated but each time was quickly gone. The frost is less transitory; in those pockets of shade out of reach of the weak new year sun, the ice sticks around well into the afternoon, and in some places, all day long.

The land seems subdued by the cold, and the wildlife hushed. On my lunchtime walk down the lane, there wasn’t much life about but for a small number of winter thrushes and a buzzard gliding low across the sheep fields. The only other sign of the wild was the faint scent of a fox, left behind as it wandered past last night.

I love the bright and cold days that make such a change to the grey dreariness we so often get in English winters. I’m glad to be working from home today so I can go for that walk but back to the office tomorrow – on a Friday!