Blogging very little at the moment, as the deadline for final Disney artworks is looming and I am up to my neck. But today was reserved for a day out. Winter has stamped his authority on the land and we wake to thick frost.
The woodburner is kept going 24 hours now. There was another powercut today - so our breakfast was gently warmed through on the stovetop. A true Scot would scorn my porridge recipe, which includes milk, flaked almonds, sultanas and cinnamon. Oh, and dark brown sugar to top.
First a quick trip to Burford Garden Center, who always have a splendid range of Christmas decorations, including my favourite Gisela Graham collection. If I had a dream job - apart from working for Disney - it would be designing baubles and gee-gaws.
On to nearby Foxbury Farmshop. Foxbury Farm produces and butchers its own meat - so you know exactly where your Gloucestershire Old Spot sausages came from and how the 'ingredients' were reared. They also sell a great range of fresh baked bread, local vegetables, regional cheeses and in season game meats. It's a valuable local employer and a small 'refusnik' against the encroaching dreary might of the supermarkets. And value for money too.
Finally, with the week's groceries sorted out, a quick half at The Fox at Barrington, before heading for home and the warmth of the fire. I managed a couple of scenic mini-movies but the good folks at Google are still approving them before publication...
Down by the river on a hot summer's day at the Fox at Barrington, there are many entertainments to be enjoyed. There are ducks with itchy backs and fidgety feathers... 
...there are acrobatic flying shows by enthusiastic squadrons of male Banded Blue Demoiselles - 
- chasing one or two solitary females - 
There are Large Red Damsel Flies, twitching their long bodies enticingly. 
And there was, really, a grass snake which slipped into the river, wriggled upstream and vanished all within a few seconds before I could prise myself off the grass to take a snap. Nearer to home we seem to have some new young toads...they fallop into the kitchen looking absolutely charming. This one, which Andy brought up to the studio, falloped onto my table and dropped down behind into my portfolios. Minor carnage ensued as it was rescued and rehomed at the back of the garden. 
