I can’t complain about the weather, I like it when it does interesting things. And it certainly has been interesting, if not challenging over the last two weeks.

But even so winter is definitely on the way out. The dawn chorus has started with a vengeance. For an hour now the air is full of the songs of the Blackbird the Song Thrush and the Mistle Thrush.

I have a habit of going out into the garden first thing to put out food for the birds. It is so cold that the birds are still dependant on all the food, but I so hate to disturb them I do it while it is still dark.

That way the birds can feed all they like from the moment it gets light. (except for when the neighbours cats put in an appearance) and of course I can watch them.

But now the cold dawn air is full of birdsong. Not many birds yet, this morning there were 5 different songs, the three I just mentioned and Robin and Wren.

This is now the time to start working out which bird sings which song. When there are just a few it isn’t too difficult. The Robin has been singing all winter, as has the Wren. But the other birds are starting now, so if you want to become expert you will need to start learning the different songs before there are so many it becomes impossible to separate one form another.

Being able to tell a bird by its song has many uses. When something new turns up you can tell even if you are on your knees weeding the garden. You can identify all the birds around you whilst looking for wildflowers. You can get very great pleasure just by listening and naming all the singing birds. Best of all you can impress your friends.

I have been practicing bird song identification for many years, but to be honest I am not all that good. I have a dreadful memory and I am not in the least bit musical. So I simply cannot recall what a bird sings like, and have to start again every spring. So if you and I start learning at the same time you are likely to be much better at it than I am by midsummer. But people think I am a real expert. Practice now and people will very soon think you are an expert too. 

I have had a lot less time to go for walks lately. Anne has had a week off work, so she has taken the dogs out. I have been very busy, and have been missing the wildlife that I normally keep tabs on when I walk the dogs. 

I was really looking forward to going for a long walk tomorrow, and being a fan of extreme weather, the forecast, for below freezing temperatures and snow had me getting my scarf and gloves ready for the morning.

We have three dogs,  Jinnie (which is an arabic word for Devil) is a little black Terrier of uncertain origin. She arrived on my birthday 4 years ago. She is very appropriately named, being one of the naughtiest dogs I have ever come across.

A few months after Jinnie arrived Chubby came along, as one of her offspring, after an accident in the park. He isn't chubby at all, but he was the biggest and boldest of them all, and he behaved badly enough that nobody else wanted him.

Anne took these two, and Barney, a Labrador cross, out for walks all week.

Now Jinnie has been suffering from a sore foot. She hurt it bounding through the undergrowth. It was nothing major, but she had to take it easy for a few days.

So imagine my dismay when I got home from a days slaving over a hot PC, planning to get out for a long walk the following day to find Jinnie had strained her paw again, but worse still Chubby had strained his paw too.

It was actually quite comical to see them both hopping along like mirror invalid images. But one thing is for sure, we wont be going for a long walk in the morning

Despite the difficulty and chaos brought about by the snow and ice, I am in my element. I simply love it.

I have been up well before dawn every day this week and headed out into the snow. I have been heading 25 miles to the south, and passing through the landscape as the sun rises. I have seen the sky shift from an amber colour as the snow reflects the street lighting, to blue as the daylight infuses the falling snow. I have seen a dark cloudless but bitterly cold morning change as a spectacular sunrise bursts over the horizon to reveal a landscape of incredible beauty.

It is amazing what snow does to soften the landscape, hide all the rubbish, and leave everything looking sparkling and fresh.

Admittedly the snow in Reading can only be described as disappointing but south of Bracknell it is a foot deep in the fields. The spectacular conifers by the side of the road are laden down with snow which has been so heavy it has snapped off the odd branch, so the ice cold air smells of pine resin. On the roads around Bagshot and Lightwater, and on towards Worplesden in deepest Surrey the snow on the back roads is hard packed but the verges are deep and untouched away from the houses. 

Untouched, that is, except for the prints of things that have wandered there since the last snow fell. Everywhere I looked I found signs of something, plentiful Fox and Badger and domestic cat prints, lots of trails of Blackbird and Robin and many other birds I couldn’t readily identify. The fields behind the hedgerows were stunningly beautiful in the sunlight, little groups of horses stood together against the cold, majestic Oak trees stood draped in snow. Snowdrops even poked through the snow in a few places where it wasn’t too deep.

By the busy roads the snow was clean and white at first but soon became soiled by the muck off the surface of the road, car tyres spewed black greasy muck over the pavements and soon this wonderful landscape will be gone.

How wise are our schools and train operators.

This is not time to go to school or work.

This is the time to get out and enjoy the countryside, to toboggan in the park, to track animals in the woods and to take pictures of splendid trees and people being happy outdoors.