We're laying in supplies

Just seen the news that the last two days of the Great Yorkshire have been cancelled, not completely unexpected but what a shame, how are our local shows going to manage?
What a 'summer' we're having. Rain, rain and then just for a change deluge with added thunder. So with this in mind we're laying in supplies:

Hebe in front of our load of logs.

The wood shed never got built, maybe next year. But this little lot should keep us going for a month or two!  Of course with this sort of preparation it's going to be steamingly hot all 'winter'.  But just in case I think we'll check the price of oil and top up the tank, oh and add several more bags of coal to the coal house too, now anything else? (yes, 107 bags of Euk - OK Hebe.)

Oh, Finnegan, you would choose today

The mercury dropped to almost -10 last night and, so far at least, hasn't got above -1. So, this morning Finnegan decided it would be the perfect day to wash teh dog house and back steps by standing in and then when he relaised it was a little chilly kicking over the neraly full water bucket. Half a gallon or more of water flowed, slowed and then stopped, sticking to the steps. eer helpful Mum brushed and mopped the water out of teh dog house and off the side of the back step - to deal with alter - dropping a towel on the top of the big puddle, overflowing and dripping down the steps onto the yard. Five minutes the towel is frozen solid to the step, the dog house is a skating runk and Finnegan tried a double salko onto the yard. Canines confined to the kitchen and armed with multiple towels, half a bag of rock salt, a couple of brushes and woolly gloves we tackled the rink. It took nearly half an hour to make it safe to exit the building even if the rink still had edges!

(Should have been posted on Saturday but the 'wonderful' ipad app refuses to work - technolcy ain't it wonderful? Ho hum.)

Shivering Penguins - fire up the Pig

We awoke to a dusting of snow this morning and the big yellow snow dragon (otherwise known as a gritter) has been spotted but not before several vehicles were seen slithering down the top road, a few slightly sideways.
So -
for the first time this year the Pig has been lit. As it's the first burn of the season a very hot burn is required to retemper the hotbox and now the house is perfumed with the unmistakeable aroma of hot pig (scorched dust and glowing, expanding iron).
To our great surprise Finnegan isn't in the least bit bothered by it, although the coal scuttle on the hearth might just prove too tempting; especially as he is now confined to the ground floor thanks to a stair gate.