As the sun set last night the sky cleared and the temperature began to drop markedly. I popped along the road to see if the bitterns were preparing to roost and noticed in the sheep field opposite the entrance to the reservoir, the old ridge and furrow farming pattern had led to differential melting of the snow, creating a striking striped sequence of ice and grass looking back towards the Chiltern escarpment. Still pinch myself sometimes that this is where I live.....