A Bitter Easterly

We woke to snow and sleet flurries brought in on a stiff easterly, a weather pattern that's due to stick until early next week, after which....

....the night temperatures are forecast to plummet to -7C - this is from the Windy.com website. We've just had the coldest January in ten years, according both to the weather experts on the media and the locals - not two parties that always agree.

In this weather the Golspie rooks, of which there are far too many, don't bother to go foraging in the local fields but spend their time turning over the moss on the rugby pitch, looking for bugs. 

To amuse ourselves during lunch we now have a small bird table right by the patio door to which....

....blue and coal tits are regular visitors, as well as....

....two of the five robins which now inhabit the garden. This is one of the new arrivals, a sleek bird who seems to have plenty of confidence, which may, sadly, be because....

....our long-time friend and one-time owner of the whole garden, the garden robin, isn't very well. His feathers blow around too much, suggesting they're not well oiled; he takes a long time to feed; and he seems to cough when he eats. We do hope he hasn't got bird 'flu.

To cheer ourselves, we watch the blue tits trying to hang on to the bird feeders in the gusts of wind.