MUSINGS FROM THE BOWER 27

The more it snows

(Tiddly Pom)
The more it goes
(Tiddly Pom)
The more it goes
(Tiddly Pom)
On snowing.

So sang Winnie-the-Pooh one snowy day. And I sang it too as I watched the snowflakes fluttering down from a heavy grey sky – they began lightly, more like white dust than flakes, lulling me into a false sense of security. Then they grew larger, and started swirling and swooping before settling, covering the grass, the shrubs and the flower pots with a snowy white blanket. The branches of the apple tree looked beautiful with their frosting, while the owl and rabbit garden ornaments were turned into mysterious heaps of snow, like mini-snowmen waiting to be decorated with lumps of coal eyes and carrot noses.

We are lucky in our little corner of Essex, as we haven’t –so far – experienced the really heavy falls that some areas are suffering, and most of the roads are passable. Even so, my daughter took the precaution of leaving work slightly early on Friday to avoid travelling home in the dark though the swirling snow. It was just as well, because not long after the road she travelled became gridlocked.

More than ever, this is the time when it really is important to feed the birds – the robins have been coming down the moment the food is put out in the morning, even though it’s still dark. The tits, sparrows, starlings, blackbirds and dunnocks follow soon after, before the heavy mob – woodpigeons and squirrels – muscle in to dominate the feeders. Nuts, fat, seed, kitchen scraps – though not too much white bread – and mealworms (fresh or dried) are all very much appreciated. If the nuts or the fat balls that you buy are enclosed in plastic mesh, please remove it and put the food into a purpose-made peanut feeder or fat ball feeder, because birds die a lingering death if their feet become entangled in the mesh and they can’t escape.

Water is vital, too. Not only is it important for them to drink, they need to bathe to keep their feathers in pristine condition, so water, whether in a large dish, a pond or a fountain, will be gratefully received. If the dish freezes over, pour some hot water onto the ice to thaw it, and if you put a ping pong ball or tennis ball in the water, it will help stop the dish or pond from freezing completely. I love watching the birds splashing about in the water, with the snow piled high all around – they remind me of those intrepid swimmers who brave our seas ‘for fun’ in the winter months.

I’ve been sorting through boxes and boxes of photographs this week. As a writer, I need photos to illustrate my articles, and so over the years built up a comprehensive library of photos covering many subjects. Nowadays, of course, the use of digital cameras means that photos can instantly be uploaded to the computer, without the need to laboriously scan them in. Photos on the computer can be tagged so that they are easy to retrieve just by typing the subject into the search engine. Not so with prints, and although most are filed under subjects, a large quantity escaped the net and have been lurking in boxes – I didn’t have a clue what was there. Gradually, I’m pleased to say, they are coming under control, and it’s been quite exciting to see photos that I had forgotten about. They have given me plenty of writing ideas, too.

In January I always feel as though I want to madly clean and tidy (luckily, those feelings soon go after a lie-down!) but one thing I really want to do is to get a new bookcase, because I can never find the book I’m looking for as they tend to get stacked in heaps. My husband doesn’t want me to get any more bookcases, but my daughter and I have had a secret measure-up, and have discovered that one would fit nicely in the space near the door. So, one day when he’s out, we will go and buy one and smuggle it in before he gets home. He might not even notice (she says, very hopefully) – he didn’t notice when we sneaked in a 6ft high CD shelf unit recently!

Oops – it’s snowing again!