Winter wonderland

A strange thing happened. On two consecutive days, it snowed overnight during a period of calm weather. I can attest that waking up to a soundless and fluffy white Orkney is a surreal and magical experience.

Mocha, despite her adventurous nature, was not wholly convinced by this new state of affairs. Her attempts at negotiating her way through six inches of snow were rather comical as, for a fraction of a second, the delicate surface crust would hold each gently-placed paw and then give way. 

The following morning, the view to the rear was of "bruised and sullen storm clouds", which was rather photogenic, as well as being a cheeky crib from the lyrics of Rush's Jacob's Ladder.

Whilst to the front, dawn continues to edge her way northwards along the eastern horizon. Either that or our neighbour's barn is on fire.

Fortuitously, whilst rummaging around in our garage/shed, I had discovered an old battered snow shovel propped up in a corner. With this implement, I was able to clear a bit of a path from the front door, enabling Mocha, her mojo rekindled, to happily pad about in a sprinkling of snow.

With the lack of drifting snow, it was possible to go to work, driving about the island in a much more sedate and cautious manner than normal. The low Winter light was amazing, but I didn't deem it safe to stop anywhere en route to take a photograph!