Winter will .....

Well - une nouvelle année très heureuse to all readers of the Blog. At the moment this will seem an uphill path for so many people, but we do hope that 2021 will see some pathways leading away from the difficulties and tragedies of 2020.

As you can see, January has answered my question at the top of the last Blog Post - Winter has indeed arrived. Early and mid-December saw temperatures drop and rain clouds gather and we started to get the bird feeders organised in case the conditions got much colder:

- and as Christmas approached the temperatures did drop considerably, down to -6 degrees on some days and the well-water froze and the ice needed breaking for the birds. There was some snow falls higher up in the Aubrac hills and we had a dusting of white in the garden, although not enough to make our 'annual snowman':

Inevitably it was a muted lead-up to Christmas, with strict lock-down restrictions, all restaurants closed, no visits to friends and relatives' homes. But over Christmas there was a temporary lifting on visiting friends and family and so we were able to truly celebrate Christmas Day with good friends and the house was decorated outside and in:

But there had been planned visits from family in the UK and no amount of communications technology replaces a real hug. We had planned an outdoor version of our now traditional 'WinterFest', holding it in the bread oven barn and the courtyard, with braziers, mulled wine and cider and a BBQ .... but the restrictions made this impossible and it seemed unwise even if that had not been the case. Similarly the Bruel Film Club has had to be put on hold, although we have used the Film Club Blog to keep in touch with members. So, we are planning ways in which we can, when it is safe to do so, bring together all that 'community well-being' with a celebration in the Summer - perhaps a BBQ in the garden with an evening film show ... we'll see, but we are determined to make sure that 'something happens' for that in 2021!

The weather during January has remained cold, with freezing temperatures and a little more snow - which has meant that Graycie the Cat has been 'exploring snow' ... which she does with a mix of courage and caution:

- and also, it has to be said, an innate sense of when it is just a good idea to get back inside the house and get the best place in front of the fire:

We were told that the Chartreux breed of cat did behave like a dog and would go for walks with one. We did approach this with some degree of scepticism, thinking that it might happen occasionally and in a rather half-hearted and random way. But our scepticism has been confounded and every day now, without fail, morning and late afternoon, she asks to go out with us and we proceed to have a gentle stroll around the garden, with the occasionaL burst of running and show of tree climbing (by the cat, not us ....):

Now, at the very start of February, it has turned from cold to very wet indeed and in a couple of days the ground has changed from being frozen hard to being awash, with the small lake overflowing (luckily we have drainage systems for the run-off) and the paths like little streams - the weather forecast says this will not last much longer, let's hope that is accurate:

So, quite apart from the pandemic, it has been an extraordinary year weather-wise, with a very mixed Spring, a baking hot and protracted Summer, and a Winter that has flicked from very cold to very wet. What amazes one still is how the trees and plants are still continuing on their own timetables, preparing for Spring, with buds and shoots forming and we know that whatever else is going on we will see them blossom and flower in not many weeks. 

How we greatly appreciate this and the 'handhold' it provides. It has encouraged us to complete the changes to our 'Nichoir' website and the 'offer' we will be able to make to visitors later this year and we believe that there will be value in being able to share the environment here with family, friends and guests: we greatly look forward to that. ​A bientôt.