Chilly seat...

Firstly, well done to all those who guessed that yesterday's photograph was part of the test of a sea urchin. Armagn even provided a link, which you can check up on if you want more information. Though I must say that I particularly liked Lozarithm's suggestion that it might be a variant of the Triple-Breasted Whore of Eroticon Six as featured in the Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. Interestingly the parts that a few people suggested looked man-made are called the mamelon of the primary tubercle, and are surrounded by the areole so Freespiral wasn't far out either!

As expected, it was a fairly busy day, with more to come this evening. Alex was reluctant to get up this morning, but we still made it out of the house in plenty of time to catch his train. Then it was back for a spot of breakfast before taking the dogs out for a very chilly morning walk.

It was -4C when we left the house, and once again the world had been turned into a winter wonderland, made even beautiful by the soft pinks and apricot shades of dawn. The Rowing Lake had a thin sheet of ice over much of it, and there was also ice on the main river, the first time this winter. Needless to say I took lots of photographs, but the one I've chosen was almost an afterthought.

This bench was near the end of my walk, and I wasn't really paying much attention to my surroundings, being more fascinated by the fact that my thighs were completely numb from the cold, which felt rather peculiar. As I approached it I heard a gentle ringing, and looked up to see two swans trying to break their way through the ice. I'd love to know whether anyone else has ringing ice. It seems to be a particular feature of the Rowing Lake and adjacent backwater. I'm not sure whether the concrete weir lends it special acoustic properties, but I haven't come across it so obviously anywhere else round Peterborough.

Off now to collect Alex from the station, after having done a round trip to Sheffield to take Chris back. May be back later!