This morning dawned clear, sunny - and icy!
Took the dogs to Wildmoor Heath and the metallic gold sunlight bathed the bracken and browned gorse in shades of Missoni bronzes and reds, set against a icy turquoise blue sky.
3 deer leaped across the sandy pathway in front of me, fleeing down the hill, popping up above the gorse, then disappearing only to pop up again, light as air and springy as kangaroos. The dogs, of course, went wild straining at their leashes to go and chase them.
Am painting my Christmas present, a beautiful forged iron bird standing feeder. It's now shiny dark green, and the wild birds are forlornly waiting in the hedge for me to finish so I cna hang their feeder and fat balls up again. In the meantime they have to make do with seed sprinkled on the wall, where they have to compete with the very bushy grey squirrels and huge wood pigeons.
The ponds and puddles are frozen over - the ponds probably only a light top layer - and the milk in the bottles delivered early this frigid morning came out in slivers of ice milk when I poured it on my cereal!
We are warm and cosy in our home, and it's great to come back after a walk and warm up with a cup of hot strong tea (and a biscuit!)
Must wash the dogs today! It's too cold to do it outside, so they'll have to have a bath and be dried with the hairdryer (which they try to escape at all costs).
New Year's resolution - do 10 mins of yoga stretches each day at home...
I start work Tuesday. Reality check. However, the office is in a gorgeous warren of a century old building in a narrow passageway off a street in Covent Garden. Last time I went there, I came up from the underground ("Tube") at Charing Cross, to find I was in Trafalgar Square. It was another beautiful morning and I was early, so I walked across the sqaure pst the huge Christmas tree and fountains, and entered the National Gallery (free admission). I spent a very happy 45 minutes browsing through the painting galleries before going to my meeting. Love London!
Happy New Year indeed!
