"We should be OK through the woods and round the lake."

"The field may be boggy. We haven't been all the way down through the woods past the rock for ages. We could go that way. It's a bit shorter too and we are later than usual."

We set off down the lane. The Old Dog stops and wees right in the gateway of the neighbour's dog. Right in front of the dog herself.

"Well that's a bit gratuitous. Weeing on someone else's patch while she's watching." But the Old Dog walks on without looking back.

"I might be too warm in this fleece" declared the Webmaster. "I'm going out to see what it's like." The Webmaster opens the door and steps out. Less than 20 seconds later he is back inside.

"Is it warm?"

"It's actually raining now. Heavy drizzle."

"I'll swap this fleece for my yellow running jacket."

"Do I need gloves?"

"We need to take the torches, it's already going dark."

We set off but stop before we reach our gate.

"It's definitely dead." We look up the garden. The tree we spent all yesterday afternoon cutting free of strappy sycamore sapplings and leggy holly trees that had grown up round it was bare. It's bark wrinkled. That part of the garden had become overgrown. Sycamore and holly grow like weeds. It is almost a full time job pulling them up and for a few years we hadn't take much notice of this part of the garden.

"It's not so cold today. It looks quite warm and sunny after the cold week."

"If we're quick we can get in a short walk, we don't have much time and after the snow most places will be muddy."

"We could do the Tongue Lane and route and come back up through the fields to church & back over Marshes Hill. It's only about 5km and most of it will be on the road."

We set off down the lane. The air is still cool but it feels warmer in the sun.

"So she's got her bag back at last."