Spring Arrives, as do Our Guests’ Snow and Ice Grippers

Well, we certainly predicted this! Today dawned grey, but true to the weather forecast it got better and better and by lunch time the sky was blue and the sun shining. Down the drive came a delivery van, out jumped the driver and cheerily handed us a parcel – always quite an exciting moment. What should we discover it was but four sets of snow and ice grippers, a pair each for all four guests at a time, and some traction lengths to help cars get out of icy ruts. How we had longed for these when the weather was bad a couple of weeks ago.

Today, in the sunshine it was hard to imagine ever needing such things; however, it is still only February and goodness knows what icy spells await us before spring is really and truly here. And it is a lovely feeling that we shall be able to help our guests negotiate icy paths and roads, not to mention our own front ‘yard’ which John was very pushed to keep even remotely safely passable during the cold spell a few weeks ago.

We couldn’t resist photographing our arctic weather equipment by the snowdrops under the plum tree, as the sun streamed down and the birds skittered happily enjoying the nuts and seeds, showing off their glossy plumage to any passing would-be admirer… Talk about tempting fate; no doubt this time next week I’ll be writing a blog post about how useful our snow equipment has been. But in the midst of all this general excitement, John spied, these little miniature daffodils blossoming unseen in our little patch of garden between the back of the house and the stone wall of the road behind. It is north facing but does get the sun from the side in the mornings and we suppose that the space is very sheltered in what is virtually a minute walled garden-on-a-slope.

Talking about road conditions, those of you who have been here in the snow and ice, will know that there is always a particularly bad stretch on the bend as you turn left to go down into the village, or after you have veered right at the road narrows sign when you are coming here. There is a permanent spring or stream or is it a leak (perhaps that explains the predicted drought for the east midlands and the east of England?) Anyway, we have just heard that our lane is to be closed for a week in March while ‘they’ investigate the drains. We will keep everyone posted when we know more.