We were lucky that Wink’s vaccination was on Saturday, no later. As it was, after heavy rain, I had to drive through floods where water was pouring from fields onto the road, but it wasn’t scarily deep. I do have quite a dread of getting stuck in floodwater. All went well, she was quite tired and headachy yesterday but fine today. There’s been snow ever since and the roads have been blocked in places – it’s not so much the quantity of snow but that strong winds have caused drifting and snow ploughs haven’t been able to keep roads clear. Especially as cars and lorries have got stuck and nothing can get through. Farmers help out a lot with their tractors and they got most roads clear by this afternoon, though I see on Facebook that it’s all getting bad again. Some vaccination centres had to close and a local friend couldn’t get down her road to get to her appointment anyway.

When I went out to the chickens this morning, I found a neat path with the snow banked in an elegant natural drift alongside it. I went in one end of the chickens’ greenhouse, to be met by silent, shocked chickens. I thought it was the darkness, because snow on the roof cut a surprising amount of light, but they were afraid because the other door had blown open. Only a few of the chickens have ever seen snow before and, after a very windy night, to have the door bang open and snow blow in upset them a lot. Luckily, no harm done, nothing broken, they all stayed inside. So I gave them treats and several scoops of food, to cheer them up, put some water down to replace the ice in their water dishes and, when I checked on them later, they’d eaten, though they were still quiet and subdued. The barn cats aren’t happy either, so I’m giving them extra food too. Eloise cat is also put out. That is, she’s put out because she can’t go out. She hates snow and sits on the windowsill staring at it. She hasn’t used her litter tray yet, but she’ll just have to, or else brave the white stuff.

As for the three of us, we’re hunkered down nicely. I’m so bored that I’m teaching myself to crochet – Wink has lent me a book (she can’t crochet either, but it’s all sorts of needlework) which explains it very badly and it doesn’t help that the only wool I have is black, so counting stitches isn’t easy. Still, it hardly matters. Keeps me busy, one way or another. Drawing isn’t producing anything worth showing, but also helps to keep me quiet. Otherwise, there’s cooking. Pillar of domesticity, darlings. But Tim is cooking tonight, which is always excellent. And the cleaners did manage to get here, so a clean and tidy house too. They have taken the ironing, too. With this idleness, I need something to keep me out of mischief.