Earth stood hard as iron.

In a complete contrast to my last few postings, today's offering is rather lacking in colour. We woke up this morning to find that a hard frost had gripped the countryside around us. The temperature had dropped overnight to -5.8C and was still well below freezing when we stepped out into the fog.We decided to take a walk around Mapperley Reservoir. The paths at this time of year are usually too muddy to negotiate but with the frost, they were as 'hard as iron'. The plants were covered in the frost making them look rather festive if - as in the case of this gorse - spikier than normal.Talking of spiky, the barbed wire fence looked rather more unwelcoming than usual, but at least it was draped in it's own Christmas tinsel!The hedgerows and trees loomed out of the fog giving the whole area a spooky look, especially as it was so quiet around this morning.All we were missing was the snow. Malcolm wasn't convinced but even he had to admit that it was fine walk and despite the temperature, it didn't seem so cold without a breeze.Well, that's it for another year. 2009 is threatening to overtake us and before we know it the Easter eggs will be appearing on the supermarket shelves. So, a very Happy New Year to you all from Malcolm and I.