1 February

February made a white and very cold start in Holland. Awoke this morning to a thin (1 cm / ½ in) cover of snow and a strong easterly wind. This served to make the -1C on the thermometer feel even colder than it ordinarily would.

Went to church to augment the number of tenor singers from 1 to 2. Good service this morning, very topical and to the point. In the past, perhaps of being of a younger age, I'd yawn my way through a sermon, but not these days. Had to be careful on the streets outside; church here is surrounded by cobbled stones and (as anything in this village) stands on a sloping street. You can safely discard the idea that Holland is flat. It ain't.

After lunch, we went to the cemetery to place flowers on my mother's grave. Hopefully, the addition of sugar to the water and the fact that there were quite a few flowers will help to extend their life in these freezing conditions. On return, we found that the Castle Country Park had been opened for visitors (it normally doesn't open until April 15th), so we ventured in. The main features had been wrapped in tarpaulins to protect them against frost. The wind made it very cold, so we did not stay long. A pity, as it is one of my favourite places in the village.


Orangerie


Castle and Countrypark


A white awakening

More pictures here