Snowing heavily - 2C - Rest Day

Picture 1 is 'Snowbound Sparrowville' and I'll fix the wind-damaged fence when the weather is better. Honest ! Unless we grow to like its dishevelled but attractive appearance.

The sparrows are OK because they have ventured out as far as the feeders, but I must defrost the bird-bath which contains a 2" deep, solid block of ice at the moment.

The only thing that stops the photo being monochrome is a hint of green in the conifer. Maybe on the enlargement there might be a flash of yellow winter-flowering jasmine.

Picture 2 is a 'photoshop-piece' which I may well do further work on. It isn't really a photograph anymore. To use the medium in this way, where one isn't trying to deceive, seems entirely legitimate.
I hope Jill's Craft Fair in Brighton goes well and she managed the trains OK.

Google tells me that it is 5C there and raining. Mind you it says Nottingham is 2C and raining heavily but it's below freezing and the snowflakes are 50p piece size and so many of them I can only just see the garage. As Ray always says, it is much better to look out of the window.

To deal with comments now. It will always be a pleasure to publish a few photographs from readers. Jill used to send me pictures from The Baltic, St Petersburgh et al. But I haven't received any for ages. I'm not as keen on the guest recipe idea but if anyone has a real corker for the rest of us to try, please let me have it and I can aways publish a link to it, as Manxislander suggests. Then, as Bungus hints, if some people find it boring they needn't open the link.

I did a Spag-bol today but it was far from a triumph. Halfway through (I oven cook them) it looked a little dry so I added half a tumbler full of passata. The end texture was more similar to risotto rice, i.e. creamy and sticky and not at all like on of my usual bolognese sauces. And the flavour lacked any 'attack' quotient. I shall finish it while Y is away because, usually, my desire not to waste food overcomes my fastidiousness. My Gran's dictum was that "if you throw it away, you'll finish up needing it". To throw a stale crust on the fire would have been an affront.

Had a nice chat to Helen this morning because I need to deliver Sky's 'Book-chair' and the little bag I have for Brooke. It was wonderful to hear that she has had a good couple of days and is feeling much better. So good in fact that they were going to look for some fun place to go over the weekend. But, in this snow, it will be difficult. If the roads are OK though, Derbyshire under snow is a delight. When they were little we once had a great day sledging at Edale, plus picnic in the sun, in the shelter of a lovely stone-wall. Which reminds me, Y didn't know who Stonewall Jackson was ! It cropped up in the Mansfield National Trust quiz-sheet - a copy of which I shall deliever to Bungus (somewhat of a quiz-expert) on Tuesday - weather permitting.

.....I'll cook something better tomorrow..........