Boots and Flowers

Our local Montessori school has found a great way to use odd boots and make the place inviting too.  These were hanging outside the school earlier.

Old Forge

Our village has expanded quite a bit in the last 40 years, but it still has a village feel, which is good. At one time there were 13 pubs and lots more shops. 

I guess people are more mobile than 100 years ago, with most owning cars. One thing that went many years ago was the blacksmith's forge (see photo). I am not sure when this closed, but it was probably 100 years ago?

Love in the air?

These 2 collared doves obviously think it is spring already! They were together on a tree in the orchard next door. Until 1955 when their range expanded westwards, they were very rare in the UK. Nowadays they are very common.

Windmill

As this is right next door to us, we get rather possessive! At this time of year when the museum and mill are closed, volunteers are busy with maintenance work. That is why there is filler on the mill side. I expect before the season starts at Easter, the windmill will get a coat of paint.

See http://www.burwellmuseum.org.uk/

Kings, Cambridge

This probably has a real name (sorry, don't know it) but it is the lawn separating Kings College from the River Cam in Cambridge, UK. In the summer, there are lots of tourists taking photos of punts or Kings College Chapel, but this is a cold January morning. 

Memories of John Betjeman's famous poem "Sunday Morning, King's Cambridge"  "
...The white of windy Cambridge courts, the cobbles brown and dry,..."

Cambridge Snow

As the photo shows, there was a thin covering of snow in Cambridge earlier. This photo was taken at about 1000z today.

Ice

We did a walk this morning at nearby Wicken. As the paths were muddy, we did a walk around the village. Although there was no sign of frost here, there were frozen puddles in Wicken, which is about 3 miles away "as the crow flies".