In the week or so since my mother arrived, the sun has finally given up the struggle to stay above the hills on the other side of the valley. The sun will skulk behind those hills for a couple of months until the beginning of February.

As of now, the frost on the grass and the trees below us will stay frozen all day. It looks like a giant baker has just dusted the valley with icing sugar. The air is dryer and sharper too, as if winter might actually arrive sometime soon.

This time last year we had a thick layer of reflective snow all around us. Diffuse light streamed into the house, which, to be honest, looks a little dingy at the moment.

Hopefully the snow will come soon to brighten things up. We also want to get our skis out and start improving our cross-country skiing skills and perhaps more importantly, our stamina. If the snow doesn’t arrive soon I’ll have to buy some Schwalbe Ice Spiker studded bike tyres so we can get fit cycling instead.