Two Degrees cooler

A long with the rest of the country, we in Moira, have had a week of snow. I was looking forward to going down to the lottie just for a look at the snowed in Lottie and make sure all was well since my last visit. I walked down to the lottie on Saturday morning and was there for 8am. The snow was deep and even as a walked up the drive. Despite six inches of snow on the ground I was not alone. There were cars in the car parks of the fishing club. They looked as if they had been there all night. As I walked up to the site's gate I could see the rabbit tracks in the snow. I was dismayed to find that the last person out of the lottie had left the rabbit flap up on the gate. The Rabbits did not need a second invitation. I followed the tracks into the new lottie area. The varmints gave up when he got twenty yards in. Nothing for him to eat and very exposed. Another set of tracks led from the gate, up the lottie drive and into the plots. The tracks led over Judith's, Ian's and Sandra's plot but nothing seemed to be touched. Mind you those plots are empty at the moment and it does get quite open from Sandra's plot onwards. Rabbit like cover or to be near cover in case they need to hide. No need to worry on that score it was to foggy for the Buzzards.














I trundled over to my plot had a look and had a look round. All seemed in order if frozen stiff. There was a faint whiff of cabbage in the air. I think it is safe to say that the remainder of the cabbages from last season have had it. I put the clean up of the cabbage patch on the to do list come the thaw. Despite the heavy haw frost the Robin came over to see if I had anything for him. I tipped out the few peanuts I had in my pocket for him.

I had got quite sweaty walking to the lottie and hanging about in the below freezing temperatures was starting to tell. I decided to linger no longer and resolved to walk home back across the fields. I figured the farmer would have his beasts in doors during this weather. In the summer walking across the same fields was a bit disconcerting when you had twenty odd bullocks running about in a herd. No such problem today. I made my way up Norris Hill the fog cleared to leave a bright sun in a blue sky. The sun as still low down and had no heat in it but it was nice to see all the same. Have tramped half a mile or so, up hill and ankle deep in snow, I had a rest in the sunshine on the stile by the ruins of Norris Hill Hall. I looked back towards the lottie and understood for the first time why our plots are always a few degrees cooler than the surrounding area. There is a small un-named brook that runs by our plots and has made a valley between Norris Hill and Hanging Hill. The trees that surround the fishing ponds, into which the brook drains, acts like a dam trapping the cold air. Standing by the fence I could see across the fields back towards the plots but could only see fog where the plots should be with Hanging Hill Farm, which over looks our lottie, on the far edge just above the fog.














Working off the Ordnance Survey map there is about 30 metres difference in height between the lottie and Norris Hill. It looks much more than that in the picture above.

Since Lottie fettling was off the agenda for today I decide to service my car. It is MOT time soon. H made me a few brews and before long, three hours in fact, the car was sorted. It is amazing the difference plugs, oil and filters. I serviced the brakes as well. H helped me and we are still talking. That's progress. That done we went to Swad for a new frying pan. I managed to miss the hook on the display and dropped a frying pan from about five foot which banged and clattered against all the other pans onto the floor.The shop had about a dozen people in it. Once the noise died away there was a moment of perfect silence. I had a second go at getting the pan on the hook, managed it, paid for our goods and left.