Cold.

Have just seen here how bad the roads are around Blackmoor Gate and Dingles will be very similar. Unlike the rest of Devon and indeed much of the country, there's no sign of snow or freezing rain here. As the post lady said when I passed her in the street 'It was all something and nothing.' I was walking into town, not because I needed anything urgently but because I wanted to have a period of extended activity while still on the heart monitor. Indeed it was even raining lightly as I walked down Pilton Street but then cleared up.

In town I bought three bird feeders along with seeds, fat balls and peanuts. These I have hung from branches stuck into the official RSPB bird feeder poles that I bought on eBay. The wall is part of our neighbour's house so I couldn't fix brackets onto the bricks. I didn't put bird feeders in the back garden because the birds would be in danger from the cats. By the wall the poles are high enough to keep birds out of harm's way. It may be quite a while before I see any birds on the feeders as there are almost no trees and very few shrubs at the front of the houses. (The big flock of jackdaws has just flown past my window.)

I also succumbed to my passion for fluffy hoodies and bought this on which was on sale.

After I sorted out the bird feeders I baked some chocolate chip cookies for Peter. Even though it still feels like winter I sowed some trailing nasturtiums and ornamental grasses and put them on the kitchen windowsill to germinate. I don't intend to spend much on plants for this garden as I brought along so many plants from Dingles but I thought that some medium sized grasses would be perfect for a couple of small beds in the back garden that don't get full sun. The grasses I chose are Stipa tenuissima /Pony Tails and Descampsia flexuosa /Wavy Hair