Chamfron Colorado

Snowballs and snowdrops...

... still on our lockdown walks!  While Spidey is tucked up in his stable with a pal we are out plodding along, a snowy Black hill, Philiphaugh along the Ettrick river and up to the gallops at Gala Rig which might be the oldest racecourse in Scotland with racing taking place there from the 17th C. 

So, they now think the new variant of Covid 19 is not only more easily transmitted but also more deadly.  Lockdown has seen case numbers start to drop but the death toll is desperate, over six thousand in the UK in the last four days.  Event cancellations are starting to be publicised daily, Glastonbury and Hawick Common riding falling in the last few days, schools closed until at least mid February, work from home confirmed until at least April (a whole year!)  It feels like there is no real hope that 2021 will be particularly different from 2020 even with the vaccine roll out, some days it feels relentless and I say that as someone in a privileged position of a secure job, nice (if chilly) house and no home schooling!

Snowy walks this week

Hair Ice

We used to see Hair Ice a lot on the farm but this is the first I've seen since I moved to the much drier East coast!  It is a rare form of ice formation caused by the presence of a fungus in rotting wood.

Selkirk Flood Defences

Kelpies to Common Ridings

Haining Estate

Minus eight this morning so a bracing walk around the Haining Estate in Selkirk, famously the home of the Dandy Dinmont terrier.  Covid cases are rising UK wide, schools are closed other than to vulnerable and key worker children and the death toll yesterday was 1325, the highest to date.

No Fishing

Up until the 31st of December I'd walked at least ten thousand steps a day for eight full months, I had a day off yesterday where I barely moved but I got back on it today with a walk around Bowden Loch which was both frozen and snow covered.  And so the 2021 Lockdown walks have commenced!