21 Comments

What a lovely post, you cheered me up on a chilly morning and I‘m subscribing. Isn’t Nature wonderful.

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Thank you Diana, we've been enjoying the snow so much, I felt I had to write about the joy of it compared to the doom and gloom in the news

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That’s lovely, Jack. Caught up with a recent Escape to the Country the other day. You and Chris came over so well. “National Treasure” … very sweet!

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haha thanks Sharon! It was really funny filming that, Nicki Chapman is hilarious off camera and had us laughing all afternoon. xx

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Oh I'm so envious. I love Waxwings!

How lovely to see the Hare prints too.

NB: I'm not able to like or reply to your comment, as the Substack footer section is partially obscuring the icons at the bottom of the page

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I thought that was just happening to me! It’s cutting it off for me too on mobile web. It’s ok on the app but I prefer using the site.

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Enjoyed reading your post this morning and the photos!

We have snow here in Altrincham, Cheshire and it has definitely slowed us down this week. We've woken up to a beautiful hoar frost. I've just checked the thermometer in the garden and it's -5°C.

It has been down to -7 overnight.

I'm surprised it's not much colder where you are.

We've had an influx of Fieldfares, who are demolishing the Bramley apples we put out, as well as the usual garden birds. I'd love to know if you've had any unusual visitors?

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Temperature wise, it’s a good reminder the UK isn’t that large an island and there are bigger weather patterns that join us all up. I’ve noticed more bird species scouting for food, I think I spotted a waxwing yesterday, definitely with a punky haircut. The small birds are eating the last of the dock seeds. There are hare prints around the garden today. We don’t often see them around near the house.

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This is a lovely post and photos.

It was interesting to see the picture of the frozen snow pack versus the sunken footprints. Being in the very South of England near to Poole Harbour in Dorset we don’t often see snow.

Keep warm!

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Thanks Ruth, yes I thought it was interesting / funny standing above the previous day’s footprints! The top of the snow was like an ice sheet.

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Hi Jack

Thanks so much for your winter post - got flu so was especially good to read.

You have a tempting deal on becoming a paid subscriber but it looks the same sum to me as before ..? Am I missing a trick

Many thanks Cleo

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Hi Cleo! Sorry to hear you have the flu, I hope you are tucked up and resting, and feel better soon. I don't personally run any deals on the Wild Way, is Substack saying something strange? A year's subscription is £25 if you feel it's relevant for you. Wishing you a speedy recovery! :)

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A very meditative post - just lovely. But sadly no snow here near Cambridge. But the frost this morning (-6 in the garden) made a frosty wonderland. The (wild) birds also enjoy water available at this time of year.

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It's wonderful having a chill like this, even without snow the world seems to slow down and become quieter when it's so cold.

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Thanks Jack for sharing your beautiful Winter garden. Low temps and snow are a powerful reset indeed!

Here we finally have a decent snow pack of 4’ from last Thursdays lake effect band.

Until the plants have the protection of snow, I worry about them making it as they are exposed to cold winds of Winter.

Oh so loved the photos especially of your wonky gate & the moors!

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Sounds lovely where you are Melanie, does it stay longer for you, where you are? Ha thanks for the wonky gate love, I should straighten it I suppose... one day!

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Every garden needs a wonky gate Jack.. Yes the snow starts in late November and if Lake Ontario is warm enough snow can come in feet per band as late as April. This 4' fell in 2 days from one lake effect band. The snow isn't so bad as the cloudy days. By Ground Hog Day we're all a little cabinfevered so i host a BBQ potluck to help shake off the Winter cold

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Sounds wonderful, though I understand the cabin fever. Where we are, winter is harsh but very wet. We usually get a few weeks of snow spread across from Nov - April, but the snow that sticks around is usually Jan - March. I like the idea of the BBQ potluck to celebrate the end of the cold.

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That looks lovely. Funnily enough, my ex-mining village, tips still in situ, is also at its prettiest when covered by a blanket of snow. Your perennials might have been flattened but the snow is helping to make it all look clean and tidy; not like our garden, where the soggy, flattened, frozen-solid mess is all too evident.

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I love the snow for the colours :) personally I think clean and tidy is much overrated, we're kinda brainwashed in gardens that it's somehow better, so a key part of the wild way of gardening is to reject that and look again at nature. In the wild in winter, things aren't tidy, and that's important for wildlife as it creates structures and habitat for them to survive in. I find that having a strong shape such as a garden path or patio helps frame the messier borders making sense of them, so we don't ever have to worry about stuff looking messy. A perfect immaculate tidy garden in my eyes is a soulless place.

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Thanks Jack for sharing. Lovely piece of writing with photos. Here on the Irish border not quite so cold but icy underneath. Feeding the birds twice each day now. Love that the blackbird never really stops singing. Wonder how our little feathered friends make it through the cold nights when I am tucked up warm in bed surrounded by dogs and cats. Blessings Tony

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