First Frost

Wow, it's cold outside. I know that I shouldn't be surprised because after all, it's almost December but it's been so mild here in Cornwall that it makes it all the more of a shock to the system when the cold weather finally hits! This morning when I got up, there was a hard frost. Everything sprinkled with a generous coating of sparkle turning the whole place into a glittery, albeit totally freezing, magical place. I love cold frosty winter mornings. Despite the numb fingers from having to break the ice on the llama troughs and the chicken feeders and the permanently red cheeks and windswept messy hair I seem to have between November and March, I still prefer cold and frosty to mild and wet. 

This morning, after I fed the chickens and the llamas, stuffed the field shelter full of hay and filled up the hay nets, I grabbed my camera and set off in search of some frosty pictures. I know all my neighbours already think I'm nuts and I can only imagine what they think when they see me flitting around all over the place snapping frosty foliage with merry abandon. I always find it very difficult to capture the sparkle of the sun on the frost but nevertheless, I will keep trying and hopefully one day I will snap the perfect sunny, frosty, glittery winter photo. 

Luckily, just before the weather turned cold, I finally got around to having my chimney swept. Something I had neglected to do last year and after a hair-raising episode with some burning soot falling down the chimney last march, the open fire was abandoned until I could get it swept. Obviously, being the super-organised person that I am, (NOT) I again forgot to get it sorted throughout the summer and it was only when I realised that I was going to need the fire as soon as the weather turned cold that I finally got around to booking the chimney sweep. A very nice, very efficient young man arrived and managed to sweep the chimney in under an hour making less mess than I do when I clean out the ashes! I can highly recommend him if you need your chimney sweeping in the Plymouth/Cornwall area. They are called Vivid Clean Sweep and you can click on the name to go to their website. 

(Please note, this is not a sponsored post and I paid for the chimney to be swept, it was not done for free but I always believe a good job should be acknowledged so I asked him if I could mention him in my post)

And one final thought, I am definitely going to have to do something about those leaves in my gutters. Not much point just yet though because there are still loads of leaves still on the trees so I shall wait until the last of the leaves are gone and then try and figure out a way to get rid of them ...... so far I have got 

1. A ladder - probably not a good idea because I don't like heights!

2. A net on a long pole so I can stand on the wall next to the road above the house and scoop them out - it's going to have to be a very long pole 

3. And my personal favourite ........ pay someone else to risk life and limb climbing up a bloody great ladder to get the leaves out of my gutter! 

Sorted :-)