I was greeted by a light smattering of snow when I took the dogs out for their last pee of the night last night. This morning it was marginally thicker, but a pretty half-hearted effort all up. I did, however, feel it advisable to delay my departure for Hobart by a couple of hours to let it clear off the roads before I set out.

My main mission today was, of course, the cats' prescription diet from the vet at Montrose, but I also wanted to get a magnetic board with strips that is apparently the best thing since sliced bread in terms of keeping track of where you are up to in a counted cross stitch. I was assured Spotlight stocked them (and so they did, ten years ago) but they were no longer available. So I went to the Needlewoman (now Threads) and they didn't have any either. I was resigned to my loss then thought of the shop in Sandy Bay (A Stitch in Time) so, since I was already in the depths of urban living, I headed down there also. Having once again struck out, I returned to the frozen north via the new Bunnings store (strange how such a new store could have toilets that already look well-worn), concluded it was all too much and headed home.

Having done my best to support local businesses I resorted to ebay and found what I wanted on Amazon (but not ebay oddly enough). Sigh.

We are planning for minus five tonight so I have lit the fire and am burning it full roar at present to raise the temperature indoors to an acceptable level before turning it down a bit. The dogs, having had a bit of a walk around the oval, have concluded going outside is a mug's game, and we are all preparing to hunker down with little further ado I think.

I finished the book I was reading (Blackbird) and I am afraid it all came out in a rather predictable manner with the villains all getting their just desserts and the goodies all reaping the rewards of their honesty. Sigh. Light trash, but I guess it passes the time. Tonight I will be starting Memoirs of a Geisha which I am rather hoping will have  little more intellectual substance to it.

It's a bracing three degrees right now (feels like minus .6) but fortunately still and therefore manageable. The wood cut today was of the lighter, smaller variety so the house has been cosy all day (the faster burning wood seems to chuck out more heat), though supplemented by larger bits as required.

I have so far given up on Plague Dogs (Richard Adams) and the Autobiography (all that boring hobnobbing with upper middle class Brits got a bit wearing), and have embarked on Blackbird which I had hoped would be an insightful look at the treatment of Kanakas on the cane fields but seems to be a moderately researched historical novel about a family with more money than taste and another family (half-caste Chinese, runaway Kanaka dusky maiden, nice welsh housewife caretaker) who are at loggerheads from time to time in a low key kind of way. Still, it is about the level of intellectual stimulation that I can handle right now, so will probably be read to completion.

Apart from cleaning the bank tonight there seems little has been done all day, though I did save myself some paperwork by making a few phonecalls instead. I am toying with a trip to Hobart tomorrow but the weather does not seem terribly encouraging for long-distance driving, so I probably won't.

It was a bit of a rush this morning to cut some firewood before heading into the Community Market as they were forecasting rain from late morning. Not sure which morning they had in mind as we are still waiting. Still, I got a barrow load in which will tide me over today and much of tomorrow, but tomorrow night's forecast minus three suggests I should probably cut some more. I think I will get the drop saw out for some lighter wood also as that seems to help building up the room temperature rather than the slower burning larger logs.

The Market was a bit grim this month with only four indoor stalls (two outside for sheep poo and large blanket boxes), and only one of them selling food. Still, I purchased a tea cake and a tray of chocolate brownies (with walnuts and sultanas in them), and scurried home once more.

It has been one of those still, overcast, damp-feeling days that make it feel a lot colder than it actually was. So much so that I have four layers of clothing on top and track bottoms at the nether regions. Now the dogs have had their last walk for the day (other than two short visits outside to pee before bedtime), I also have my uggs on. I actually had to shut myself into the lounge to build up anything resembling a tolerable temperature - it is 8 degrees in the bedroom now the curtain has been shut!!

Woke to the sound of rain on the roof, which was the 'clearing showers' they warned us about. Since they showed no sign of clearing I didn't bother starting the washing, but then they did. So I started to get organised and the wind picked up and I decided not to bother. Then the wind dropped but by that time it was midday and by the time the load was done it would be one and washing really has to come in by two at this time of year if you want it to be dry, so I still didn't bother. Probably a bad decision as it will be raining for the next several days, but you know what? I don't care.

Finished another Ngaio Marsh and started another. This one did not appeal from the outset as the cast of characters was altogether too 'antic' and it seemed like it was going to give me a headache, so I set it aside and started a partial autobiography by PD James called Time to be in Earnest. I had no idea she as as old as she is and her childhood reminiscences are a delight, as are the glimpses into her day to day life that the format provides. She writes it as a daily diary so you get to hear where she is going that day, and then she muses on about some aspect of her life. Very engaging reading.

Cut a load of wood (after running into town for some chain bar lube), and piled it inside - it will not tide me over the forecast damp and chilly spell, but at least it will give me a good start. I mean to go to the Market tomorrow, after which I will hopefully concentrate on some paperwork I need to get done. Meanwhile I will reheat last night's pot roast (which was very tasty) and fry up the veges as bubble and squeak.

Last night was not all that chilly considering they were forecasting minus two - we didn't even get a very impressive frost. All very odd. Today was lovely sunshine but still rather bitterly cold, so it was a good thing we had a short day in the garden. Despite it being the last day of term a group of kids did come over and made themselves very useful barrowing our new pavers into the garden and stacking them neatly for us near where we propose to use them. They were three short, but whether that was at the delivery end or our end i don't know (the plastic wrapping had been partly removed so possible someone pinched some). Any way, three is neither here nor there so we will not make a fuss about it. Where they are they are not visible from the lane that runs alongside the garden so hopefully no more will go walkies in the mean time.

I put  a pot roast in the slow cooker this morning and it seems to be going nicely. I will turn it up to high while I am at the bank to finish it off for dinner. Have just popped in some potatoes and peas to join the carrots, parsnip and onion that are already in there. It smells delicious, so I am rather looking forward to having it for dinner.

I also splashed out and bought two pizzas to go in the freezer for when this meal is done. With a bank to clean this evening I will be quite worn by the day's exertions, but at least I will be coming home to a cosy house.

It tried very hard to snow today but without success. It was certainly cold enough for it. I have had the fire chugging away all day and so it is nice and cosy indoors, but outside it is a bit of a horror show. The Ice practically cuts off your nose as you leave the house.

Tomorrow should be a tad warmer (after minus two overnight) but I am rather glad that Syche and I agreed not to bother to get into the garden till one in the afternoon for all that.

Two more cottages today, seems to be rush hour right now. Both nice and neatly left by guests who even did their own washing up. I tried a new way of making the beds up that my alter ego has adopted. It is disconcerting as I usually tuck the end in first then do the hospital corners and work my way down the sides to the head of the bed. She tucks the sides in first and does the hospital corners the other way around. The first bed did not go so well as it has a foot on it, but the second attempt worked. I have to say it does look rather more luxurious, so I will try to remember to do them that way in future.

I finished the Mary Stewart which turns out to be a very sympathetic telling of the story of Mordred and Arthur, with Mordred rather surprisingly being cast as a nice bloke. Well worth the read. It is called 'The Wicked Day'.

Today was all a bit scrappy. Woke to a foggy morning with frost on the ground and set off to clean the cottages once all was sorted at home. I had cut a barrow of wood, but didn't bother to carry it indoors as I didn't want the dogs all worked up with my comings and goings.

After the cottages were done (one blocked toilet, one tap falling off), I headed over to sewing and made a bit more progress on the counted cross stitch. Not much today as it was backfilling gaps in some of the work already done, and the next bit would involve the very complicated four-shades-of-gold work on the ear of wheat that I had already started some time ago. I balked at starting that when I was surrounded by interesting conversations and had lots of stuff to sort at home, so off I went, via the shop for a few basic supplies.

Home once more the dogs were walked, the wood brought indoors and the fire lit. I also picked up the clothing that someone left at the cottages over a month ago but has not claimed, and have added the shirt and teeshirt to the washing, while the padded sleeveless jacket is hanging in the cupboard awaiting a suitable occasion for use.

I called into the bank to inquire about the fate of the money I found but there were two blokes serving and I had no idea who they were (I had wondered why the toilet seat was being left up, now i know). They told me it was in the safe in an envelope but they neither had any idea what the appropriate protocol was, so I left them to it. I will be in again this evening to clean once more.

Since we are apparently expecting snow tomorrow I have made the place secure and will sit back and wait for it to happen. I do have a cottage to clean, but I expect any snow will hardly prevent me getting in to do that. Just bracing myself for the winds that will be bringing it up from down south. There is a solid line of precipitation southwest of Tassie right now, showing heavy falls across the centre of the band, so I expect there will be some strong winds to bring that up for our pleasure!