Bright sunshine and with mum and dad on holiday once more we escaped the confines of the house and out for a walk.
Puddle still un-frozen
First thing on our list was to check to see if our puddle, the one we spotted the other day, had frozen.
Despite the temperatures overnight dropping to at at least -5deg centigrade the puddle still remained unfrozen.
Mum and dad now wondered what was keeping the water from freezing over.
Maybe it was being fed from an underground hot spring left undiscovered by the Romans when they left the area a few thousand years ago.
Buster enjoys the snow
It is thought that the nearest bath house to us is to be found on the site currently occupied by the Market Hall in the centre of the City so quite a few miles away from our location.
Overhead
Today has been a busy day for the air ambulances in the area.
Whilst we were out on our walk a green and white helicopter flew over us quite low as he went in to land at the nearby hospital.
Frozen leaf
As we type this blog update we can hear again the sound of whirling rotor blades as for about the fourth time today a helicopter is on route to the helipad at the Cumberland Infirmary.
Really winter
Everything is looking very festive and somehow just right for the season after the weeks of cold temperatures.
For many years our winters seem to have been only wet, damp and miserable however the cold, crisp days with the bright sunshine just seem to have lifted spirits.
It has been very unusual to have a white Christmas all through the holiday period.
Charlie enjoys the snow
We have been out far more in the last few weeks than at times during the summer. Yes we get cold paws and Charlie gets a soggy tummy but we stay clean.
Peaking through undergrowth
Another thing we have noticed is that when it is cold the sniffs really do smell a whole lot better.
With temperatures dropping outside mum brought some of her plants indoors to escape the frost. In normal times they would be ok in the greenhouse but it anything below -4 dec C she says will freeze their roots and stems.
Gorse in full flower
Suddenly the bathroom and the kitchen look like jungle film sets and at anytime you expect a Bear Grhyls or some other explorer or naturalist peaking through the undergrowth.
Bright yellow flowers surrounded one side of the field we went for a walk in today. Despite the icy conditions and the recent snow falls the gorse still seems to be flowering.
Mum says this is unusual in the north of England however many reports suggest that gorse is now flowering all year around.
Buster and Charlie enjoy a walk
Against the white ground and bare branches of nearby trees the many bushes about 2m high really stood out and provided a happy sunny hedge.
Buster once again wore his blue jacket with the reflective stripes to help keep his hip warm. He is not really a fan of it as it is a little bit ridged on his back and makes him feel a little awkward. The benefit comes when he gets home and doesn’t feel too clunky and sore.
I love my walks and am always keen to get onto the scent of a new animal. Today, left in the snow were sets of four paw prints mum thought had been left by bunnies.
Just look at the field
Now I don’t know what one of these critters looks like but they seem to have rounded rectangular paws and smell slightly of damp earth. I think they must be fluffy like me.
Coloured snow
It is hard work being out in front on walks and looking after Buster. Sometimes I just take a break and sitting or lying on the snow just take a moment to look around.
Did you know you can eat snow? Mum picked some of the white stuff in her hand and like magic it turned to licky water, what a great trick.
This got me wondering what would happen if I licked the snow up on my licker.
I wish we had a sledge...
I have to say it was cold and it sort of crackled but it soon melted and I was sorted. Drinks whenever I needed, for this walk anyway.
Just a note of caution at this point, coloured snow is not good. I need say no more. Yuck.
Husky
Towards the end of the big field we had to descend down quite a big hill. You can see a picture of it to the right of the page. Next time it snows we know exactly where to come for some sledging. I can run in front with a harness on and pull Buster around just like a sled dog team.
On the subject of sled dogs the Siberian Husky Club of Great Britain have been holding a rally this weekend near Penrith.
The winter sunshine is very warm
Usually in the UK the sleds are equipped with wheels and are pulled by a team of dogs over forest tracks. Maybe this year the full experience may have been possible with the sleds running on the snow, as they would do in the frozen wildernesses of Siberia.
Picture
One of the unseen problems with this website is the number of blurred photographs my dad takes of us. This is not, usually, because he can’t take a good picture but because we do not stand or sit still for very long.
Very often dad will load the pictures on to the computer and all you will see across the screen is a black and white blur or a shaky tan coloured splodge, sorry Buster.
So you can imagine his relief when he downloaded the above photograph from the camera.
Have a safe and peaceful 2010
Until next time
Charlie and Buster
