Tuesday morning was cold. When I opened the curtains I knew the temperature had really dropped overnight because the back garden was covered in thick frost. Our garden is quite sheltered so it’s rare for us to get any at all. The whole garden was frozen solid, even empty pots with several inches of water sitting in them were frozen all the way to the bottom. I managed to get a massive piece of ice out of the bucket collecting water from the broken guttering.
This slab of ice was sitting in an empty plant pot.
Noisy sparrows were perched on the roof of the old building overlooking our garden, probably squawking to tell me to hurry up and get the meal worms out.
A blackbird has started visiting our back garden regularly. I often stand and look out the back door while I eat my breakfast and see him fly in for his. He likes rooting around the hydrangea pot so I scatter some meal worms in the pot for him to find.
This morning he was pecking at a completely frozen bird bath!
Elsewhere in the garden things were just as frozen. Our lambs lettuce was dusted with a thick layer of frost. I’m hoping it won’t have gone tough.
The kale is still going strong! The soil around it was so hard I could stand on it without it giving way.
This was a piece of ice I picked out of the watering can. Underneath the thick layer of ice on top were these icicles; I thought they looked a bit like ferns.
The homemade bottle cloches I made at the end of last year are doing their job. I took cuttings a little late and although they rooted they didn’t get very large before winter set in. I was worried about them dying in the cold so I put these on top. They’ve worked a treat.
At lunchtime everything was still frozen so I went outside and smashed up the slabs of ice just for the sake of breaking things. Bit brutish of me but it was surprisingly satisfying!
Those ‘ice ferns’ are rather pretty aren’t they. And how satisfying to break up the ice 🙂
I’m hoping for more frosty morning so I can break more ice 🙂
Ice here too – then snow and now back to ice. Pretty but hopeless for gardening. Like Iona, I love your ice ferns. Did you see the ice flowers I put up on the blog earlier this week?
I did – I’ll have a look for them on your blog!
Crikey Gemma and I thought it was cold here. I think Black Birds are just about my favourite and we don’t don’t see nearly enough of them at the plot so you’re really lucky to have this little chap.
We feel very lucky as this is the first time we’ve seen a blackbird in the garden since moving in a year and a quarter ago. Blackbirds have great personalities – we had a sunbathing blackbird where we lived previously and he’d fan out his feathers and gaze up at the sky.
brrrrrrrrrr…. that is cold! that is quite the impressive piece of ice and those ice ferns….. sooooo gorgeous! hope it has warmed up a bit. x
It’s warmed up a smidgen 🙂 Going to be cold again tonight though!
I love to see frost and ice, it always looks so pretty around the garden. Lovely pictures x #HDYGG
I have a soft spot for ice, it makes for a good photo…
I can’t believe you held that slab of ice with no gloves on! The blackbirds that visit my garden love mealworms too just like your Mr Beady Eye.
Haha, I have asbestos hands. I did get to a point where my fingers started to burn a little though. I’ll get my gloves out next time.
I flipping love getting out there and smashing up / stamping on / pouring hot water on ice! Those icy fern shapes are amazing! We haven’t seen much ice in the garden here but the forest is a whole different kettle of (icy) fish. Love that top shot of you peeking through the ice circle – almost looks like some fancy pants designed piece of glass!
Our kale is still going here too – bonkers! We had three cats sat on top of the guniea pig hutch this week, not that it phased Nibbles, Crunch and Super Pig – I suspect they were glad of the body heat from the furry felines!
Thanks for joining in again lovely – chilly and lovely shots x
I think it’s a great way of bringing out your inner kid! It’s quite therapeutic too – better not get too many days like this or I’ll turn into a proper brute. I was happy to have a frosty morning at home because they normally happen on days when I need to commute to work and don’t have time to explore with my camera (translates to: can’t face getting up before the alarm goes off).
Super Pig is an amazing name for a guinea pig!!!
Those ‘fern’ icicles are quite extraordinary! And love your shots of the visiting birds. We had a pheasant twice this morning pecking around the ground by our bird feeder platform where seeds drop and I also scatter dried meal worms.
Wow, I had no idea a pheasant would venture into a garden. Get some photos 🙂
They looks like ice sculptures! Amazing shapes. Your plants looks nice esp with a bit of snow dust. #hdygg
Thanks Merlinda. Plants always look nice covered in frost don’t they?
Fabulous photos, those icy ferns are gorgeous. I bet that ice disc was heavy as well as bloomin’ cold!
I too am partial to a bit of wanton ice destruction, makes you feel so naughty but delighted at the same time doesn’t it!
Thanks 🙂 Wanton ice destruction – that’s a good way to put it!
Didn’t know you had a brutish nature to smash the poor ice !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The cloches were very clever thinking & doing & the blackbird & icicles were beautiful xxx
Neither did I until I started smashing the ice up!! Tapping in to my inner child I think. Thank you G+G!
Ice ice baby! Love your icy pics and the small bottle cloches – great idea. Let’s hope it warms up soon x #hdygg
I’m torn – I like cold weather but I also like gardening. Two things that don’t go together so well!