6th January 2010 2009

The snow arrived in Hemsworth at breakfast-time yesterday, the 5th, and fell continuously until early evening, giving a covering of 16 cm. The lack of wind meant that the covering is very uniform and the snow has settled on the thinnest twigs of trees and shrubs. As soon as the snow stopped falling, we turned on the lamp which stands in our back garden to make it look as much like Narnia as it is ever going to.

I spent and hour or two, yesterday, sitting at the living-room window, watching the falling snow and trying to sketch the twigs on the shrubs which grow in front of the house.

At the same time, I observed the comings and goings of the birds which came to take the food which I placed on a small snow-free spot on the garden wall, in the shelter of a Pyracantha.

The many blackbirds which were feeding on crab apples in the garden before Christmas have left us now that the apples have all gone and we now see the usual one or two. However, today we had a visit from a song thrush. This isn’t something that we see every day, or even every week.

Small numbers of birds have been visiting the garden to take the food that I leave for them. We have seen the usual dunnocks, house sparrows, bluetits and great tits. The wood pigeons which visited regularly last year haven’t yet appeared this year but collared doves have been coming down for seed. Also, I have heard very few redwings and fieldfares flying over Hemsworth in recent days.

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