COLD!!
At last, a really cold wintry day. Carshalton Ponds partly frozen over when I cycled over to meet Mother there for a walk. There's a local Ecology Centre - rather pretentiously-named, but a good idea and interesting to walk around, although on our Dec, Jan and Feb walks we have been the only visitors....aim is to get local schoolchildren interested in the natural world, so there are places for birds to nest, and hedges created to harbour wildlife etc etc....a shelter where the pupils sit for lectures, and a "listening circle" where they are meant to sit on logs with their eyes shut and hear the birds (er...and the traffic roaring by on the nearby road, alas). We enjoyed the walk and then were ready for some tea. GREAT BRITISH TRADITION: it was Wednesday, early-closing day, and the two teashops in the village were closed!! How daft can you get....I thought these days things had moved on....tealess I saw M. on to the bus and then had a chilly ride home....

Forecast is snow for tomorrow.

While on the subject of British traditions....I was amused at a comment to this Bliog with an all-too-apt description of the (ghastly!)Traditional British Sunday Lunch. However, I have to disappoint him - my reference to last Sunday's meal was to the concept of traditional eating in general, rather than to the British menu: our host on this occasion was Belgian, and we ate an excellent meal, meat cooked deliciously with herbs, followed by a tarte citron of memorable quality....