Valley of Fog & Frost, Renovations Continue

We have had a succession of very misty foggy mornings with some quite severe frosts. Frost is  great as it means we don't have to contend with mud everywhere. The grass yard in front of the farmhouse has been wrecked after the cows got out and trampled and charged all over it on very wet day, churning up mud and making divots like pot-holes...a real mess.

And talking of mess the cottage bathroom is now a little less messy than it was as we've got the re-plastering stage of the renovation and once that is finished there will be just tiling the floor and around the bath and woodwork to be done and then I set to with my trusty paint brush. Fortunately the changes that have been done do mean  there is actually less wall to paint now which is good.

January is always a very busy month somehow. We always seem to find work in the cottage to be done before our first guests start arriving and on the farm the Farmer & the boys are kept busy till lunch-time with feeding, bedding the cattle, checking the sheep and cleaning yards & sheds each day. Once that work is done there is hedge-trimming to be finished before February,work on the new shed to be completed and general maintenance. Living on a old farm with fine 19th century stone buildings that are still in use there is always something to be found to do whether it is just replacing a slipped slate on a roof or checking gutters and drains, particularly the latter if it is a very wet month.
Although the weather has been so cold this winter and we are having regular frosts at present there are signs in the garden of life stirring. I have found a number of daffodil bulbs putting up tentative green spears both inthe gardens and along our drive. The snowdrops should be sending their green & white striped shoots throught the grass before too long though I found no sign of them when I looked ten days ago. I must go and check them again. Tight tiny little buds are appearing on plants and shrubs and I hope we do not get a blast of bitter weather that will burn them all off  before spring.

Our new addition to the family came home with her mother yesterday and she is the sweetest little poppet. We are all besotted!