The winter sun casts long, runway stile, shadows across the winter barley, days are very short now. Gales are more the norm as we approach Christmas. There are still the hardy Fever few plants producing the daisy like flowers even in these harsh conditions. Even some Ballerena Roses in the garden dare flower against the impending frosts. Jack frost now paints his mark on all that lie before him. Leaves, litter everything is fair game. As you walk around the area few leaves remain on the trees, except for the copper colours of the Beech and the odd Oak trees reluctant to leave their parent. Only the colour of the Scotch Pines and the Yews, giving out a nice green to enhance the colourless trees , thank goodness everything is not deciduous, loosing their leaves. As you wake up and look out side, Mother Nature is almost telling you too stay in bed; Fog, frost and freezing temperatures why would you want to venture out? One advantage of the frosts is that almost every path is accessible even though it may be slippery, but shoes or boots come home almost as clean as they went out. However if you wrap up warm there are still lots to see out there, fair enough, the dawn chorus as been put on hold till the spring, but if you listen there are often the gaggle of geese flying by, or you may see the Heron which are as silent as Owls in flight, searching for someone’s carp? for lunch. Robins are always twittering away. Christmas is now but a day away, the panic shopping seems to have eased slightly, soon the sales will begin or did I miss the start? Bird feeders are topped up, water in a bowl, at least the starlings will have plenty to eat. Seems like there are still lots of berries about, holly, rose hips and hawthorn still there for the taking, so most birds will be fed and ready to please us all in the New Year. Stay warm.