nature...

I managed to photograph this beech leaf encapsulated in ice just before it slipped from my hands, shattered into a thousand pieces and was then eaten by the dog. It's a really bad habit of his; eating snow and ice. It all turns to water and I sometimes forget that he needs to go out more often after a snow/ice eating session.

That was taken two mornings ago actually, today it's a whole new bright sunny day. The birds have an unfrozen supply of bird bath water, their feeders have been replenished. Fat balls hang from the branches of the plum tree. I've moved an armchair in our sunlounge into it's 'summer' spot which means I can pause there now and then with a basket of crochet by my side taking in the ever changing clouds moving over the fields and do a spot of bird watching too.

We get an amazing variety of birds and wildlife. We once had a spotted woodpecker - the white and black type with a red bit. I think it was a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. It cleared the garden of all other birds and took centre stage. It was spectacular.

On another occasion I opened our front door to an amazing sight; a huge bird of prey - I'm not sure which, but it was pretty big. It was devouring a pigeon, and even though I was a matter of metres away, with a dog, he didn't immediately fly away with his catch. I was frozen to the spot. No time to get a camera though unfortunately.

We also have regular hedgehogs, foxes, grouse, pheasants, owls that only Mr H can hear, and all the usual small colourful garden birds. Oh and far too many fat pigeons, not to mention the dozen white doves that live nearby - between the doves and the pigeons let's just say 'woe betide anyone who leaves the trampoline cover off!'