Cold.

It's been very cold today. The warning is for strong winds, 60 mph here and up to 100 mph in Wales, and a month's rain in the next couple of days. It feels like that already here. The morning was cold with frequent icy showers. I couldn't check if the snow was still there on Exmoor because even from the top of the hill the visibility was only about a mile. The rain eased off as I got to school and we had a dry afternoon though the strong winds were icy cold. No staff meeting today so I left early just as the sun came out. I couldn't go my usual way home because the road was closed at Burridge by the Muddiford turn off. I could see workmen and someone up a cherry picker so presumably there was a problem with the overhead electricity wires and /or the trees that overhang the road there. Driving down to Muddiford I kept a wary eye on the big trees at the side of the road as they swayed violently in the wind. A number of fallen branches could already be seen at the side of the road. By the time I got home the sun had gone and the bad weather had closed in again. I took a brief walk around the garden looking for something to photograph and as I turned the corner of the house the wind nearly blew me over. Right now the wind is howling around the house and down into the fireplaces. It's a good thing we got that chimney sorted or it would surely have fallen down by now.

I tried to take some pictures of the small birds on the feeder but it was so windy all my pictures were blurred. This hen pheasant is part of a group that were walking around on the back lawn. 

Peter came home but he is rushing out again for a gig club committee meeting. As safety officer and trainer of the junior crews he needs to go to this meeting though he would much rather stay at home.