Ice plant

A bitterly cold day, the temperature not rising above zero and made chillier by a fresh south-easterly breeze. But the sun was shining, and my walk round Old Sulehay felt exhilarating. After several days of sub-zero temperatures the ground was frozen solid, which made it possible to walk on some of the smaller woodland paths that have been a mudbath for much of the winter. There was a dusting of snow in the shadier parts of the site and many of the of the puddles exhibited an array of delicate ice etchings - this one reminded me of the stem of a plant with jagged leaves.

The cold weather seemed to suppress bird activity. Small flocks of fieldfares and redwings were feeding on the highly nutritious berries of the ivy which clothes several hedgerow ash, and I was lucky to spot a marsh tit foraging in the hawthorns at the base of the hedge. As i walked along a path near the eastern edge of the wood, a pair of ravens circled playfully overhead -  this it the third time that I've seen this pair this winter, and it looks increasingly likely that they will nest close by.

During the afternoon the younger generation set to and prepared a home-cooked meal to celebrate Chinese New Year. We ended up with a veritable feast, including tempeh with orange sauce, vegetable chow mein, spare ribs, chicken balls with sweet-and-sour sauce, chicken toasts, mushroom toasts and bao buns with duck. We made some for Chris and Lizzy, who came to collect it as a take-away - as they were sadly not able to join the celebrations this year.