Yesterday's thaw produced compacted snow which froze last night to create sheets of 1"-thick ice in places like the graveyard car park and black ice anywhere that was wet. Conditions were so horrid that few ventured out this morning, the side roads in the village empty, and only one of the usual dog-walkers passing our door. Other than popping out to pick up a newspaper we stayed at home, not venturing out....
....for a walk along the coast until mid-afternoon when, even though the sun had been out all day and pushed the air temperature up to 4C, the paths were still solid blocks of ice. However, the low sun's warmth enabled us to....
....sit for a quarter of an hour on our favourite bench, look out across the calm waters of the Moray Firth and....
....watch the waders go about their daily business relatively unaffected by the cold - though I don't think I've ever seen an oystercatcher pushing its head quite so far under water to get its beak deep into the sand.
Inevitably there are casualties in this bitter weather. This little bird, probably a yellowhammer, was sitting on the path as we approached and made no real attempt to fly away, preferring to try to escape by hiding in the grass.
Yesterday's thaw produced compacted snow which froze last night to create sheets of 1"-thick ice in places like the graveyard car park and black ice anywhere that was wet. Conditions were so horrid that few ventured out this morning, the side roads in the village empty, and only one of the usual dog-walkers passing our door. Other than popping out to pick up a newspaper we stayed at home, not venturing out....
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