Monday 5 January 2009

In case you thought it was cold already . . .

apparently it is set to get a damn sight colder tonight - minus 7 in parts of Wales (Brecon Beacons) and minus 9 in the Midlands of England.


I managed a short walk today - about 45 minutes - but not till mid-afternoon and not until my menfolk had been out and gritted our hill. A veterinary check up for Lucky had to be put back to mid-afternoon and then rescheduled again for Thursday, when I am praying the roads will be better. We are several miles of single-track iced-over side roads away from the A40 . . . Tomorrow we need to try and get middle daughter to her friend's at Newport, for a lift back to University, but with the temperatures promised overnight, it may be a non-starter.

Down along by the river again, but underfoot the road was still like a skating rink . . .

Different bits of frozen river-on-the-rocks.

Whilst the mid-stream boulders were slick with ice too, from the river spray.


So I had a "spare" day and have been turning forgotten Cranberries into Cranberry and Apple Chutney (which is a gorgeous colour), and trying my hand at home-made crumpets as there seems to be a vogue for them over on the Creative Living forum (yummy they are too).

I have a sore throat and a horrid suspicion I am coming down with one of the varieties of cold bugs which my offspring have introduced into the house recently. I do hope NOT!

10 comments:

Linda C said...

Hello! I just arrived at your door by coming down Kelli's path:)

I am so enjoying your beautiful landscape photography! You have some amazing shots!

Since it is unlikely that I will ever travel to see your beautiful country, thanks for such a wonderful glimpse of nature around you:)

Judging from a comment you made about being 10 yrs. old in '62-'63, we have also had about the same number of birthdays. I have another coming up in a week of so...they just keep coming:))

I like your blog very much and will stop by again. Feel free to stop by an see me sometime:)

Happy 2009!
~Linda C

Sally Townsend said...

I love crumpets but we can't get them over here, lovely atmospheric photo's, have fun with your new camera.

Rowan said...

Your road looks dreadful, don't blame you for staying put. Those river photos are great though. Paet of my DIL's Christmas present to DH was Cranberry and Apple smoked chutney. Wonder if it's the same recipe? DH says it's good, I don't do chutneys so haven't tried it.

Willow said...

Such wintry scenes BB! We had some snow over night and it actually feels a little warmer today, but it is set to freeze over the lying snow tonight ... Yikes!! Your cranberry chutney sounds delightful. Hope you stay warm & safe.
Willow x

A Bite of Country Cupcakes said...

that cold iciness looks so fresh and clean though!
I do hope for your sake you are not getting sick...Fingers crossed .
The apple and cranny chutney sounds interesting bet it tastes delishious

Val said...

You have my sympathy for both the icey roads and the cold, the former are horrid always and the latter when you are not used to them...
Hope the cold doesn't develop.

It's freezing harder than normal here too and I have a uncomfortable suspicion that the sink drain is frozen...so I have a feeling that we'll be crawling around in a very cold crawl space replacing pipes.. oh dear such is life!

it was pushing between -16 and -20f (-26 to -29C) this morning and even for us that's cold in January (in Fairbanks further North they think we're wimps as they had -50 f now you know why we don't live there lol)

nancy said...

You are still a lot colder than we are. We've been hearing reports of record lows even in places in Alaska. The weather is amazing. I've always enjoyed 'weather'. I used to keep a station for the FAA to report conditions for small planes in Alaska. I never tired of watching the skies and seeing the effects of the changes.
I meant to tell you, the 'ice bells' in the last post were so beautiful! I have never seen them anywhere.
Nancy

Bovey Belle said...

Morning all - bitterly cold out and I got dressed as I used to when I was little and we had cold winters and no central heating (i.e. beneath the bedclothes!)

We can't compete with Val (nor would I want to dear!) but it's damnty cold here all the same. Considering for the past 5 years we've hardly even had a frost in the winter, and it has never been this cold for prolonged spells since we've been living in Wales, this is winter as I remember it from childhood . . .

I have a cold - I've had worse - but this one comes complete with earache, which I can well do without. I spent the latter half of the night having nightmares in which I was suffocating . . .

Sally - I will post the recipe for the home-made crumpets for you. They are different from "boughten" ones, but better.

Rowan and Cupcakes and Willow - I will post the chutney recipe. It was a straightforward cranbury version, but I thought it would look pretty with some chunks of apple in, plus I could add more vinegar and it would keep longer. I'd had to halve the original recipe and there was diddly-squat vinegar in it then (1/4 pint).

Nancy - glad you liked the snow bells. I would like to get half way up the valley to the little waterfall there, but it's a 6 mile round walk and the roads ghastly. even on foot in my good walking boots.

Linda C - I will come visiting shortly, and I hope you will be a regular visitor.

nita x said...

jennie they are gorgeous pictures, i love the ice and snow, fresh and quiet. :o)

A Green and Rosie Life said...

Just got to your blog via Snowgoosy - we too have it cold in France - minus 11 last night but it means no mud and the perfect excuse to stay inside with my seed catalogues!! I was thinking about making crumpets too - I can't get them over here and they are compulsory when it is this cold. What do you eat yours with?

Best wishes

Rosie x