Rain, rain, more rain, then ice... then sunshine... then SNOW!

After a night of torrential rain battering down on the (storm damaged) roof, the temperature must have plummeted. Dawn looked promising, but there wasn't the usual pretty white frosting across everything. This morning, instead, we had sheets of ice! Beautiful shades of pink, violet and blue in the sky with the promise of some sunshine. But the low slung white tinted fluff balls on the horizon behind me serve as a reminder of the threat of snow. Winter, afterall, seems to have arrived.

 It's only -1C outside, so nowhere near as cold as the -5C that we've already been subjected to on a couple of occasions but it was cold enough to freeze the rain lying on top of the poultry houses and cars.

By the looks of the sky, it should clear up and we'll get some sunshine.

'George' was lit as soon as I'd finished the morning's outdoor activities. Puss cat had a mad dash around the garden before the hens and ducks became too much of a temptation for her, so she's now confined to barracks for misbehaving. I daren't let her off with it, funny as it may be to watch, or she ends up sitting on the garage roof pulling faces at me as she swishes her tail in sheer defiance.

The sun is just beginning to break through now. It takes its time clearing the hill behind the house at this time of year but when it does, the kitchen gets a glorious burst of winter rays that bounce off the orange walls and make for a very cosy place to be on a chilly day.

Dawn breaking over Frugaldom.

The promise of some sunshine but are those snow clouds on the horizon?

Alas, the snow had already begun falling! The snow clouds seem to be all around us, but the sky directly above is clear... for now. (Edited in: We did have another brief flurry around mid-day.)

This is as close to us as the snow has come this winter... PRETTY CLOSE! That's the car last night, showing off its dusting of snow. But the picture on the right isn't the Galloway Hills, which have been snow clad, periodically, for weeks, now. That's just the top of the ridge of the next field. Winter is certainly creeping down on us and all the signs are indicating that we could have a white Christmas. Stock up people, if you're off the beaten track, this winter could be severe for you.

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