Wilf enjoys the Arctic winds - Digby doesn't

Boy has it been cold ! The ice has formed a surface half an inch thick on the puddles of water down the driveway and it's remained frozen solid all day. We have burnt twice as much wood in the house fires this year as we did last year and the use of gas and electricity are up by 40% - I guess that's proof that this has been a severe winter. Despite the cold we've all been out in the grounds working out what needs to be done when the spring arrives. The wild lupins that we planted in the four hectares immediately around the house are coming up again and we'll leave them in place .The number of birds and hares seems to have increased this year over last so perhaps the lupins provide good ground cover and seed.Wilf has been having fun in the wind but Digby's arthritis has been playing up again with the extreme cold and he's been sheltering in a sunny spot in the garden.