It started foggy, but the sun soon burnt it off, even though temperatures stayed well below zero all day. The roof of the chapel sparkled against the deep blue zenith, and steamed as the snow sublimated. The boiler flue also billowed steam, which rose vertically, as the boiler worked hard to keep us warm. Mucknell is still a winter wonderland, and from my window the snow looked pale blue as if it were reflecting the sky. A strand of spider's web outside the refectory window was covered in hoarfrost - natural tinsel - spinning in the very slightest breeze. There are animal and bird tracks criss-crossing everywhere, even in the thin layer of snow covering the ice in the pond and swales. A couple of birds, probably crows, have landed on Mucknell Mount (the mound screening the boiler shed), walked across the summit, and taken off again. Sunset brought a brilliant strip of orange framing the Malverns.
Saturday is meter-reading day. Being proper scientists/data-junkies/geeks (delete as appropriate), we made no exception for Christmas Day. The solar panels have been covered in snow all week, and no way of geting up there to clear them. While photovoltaics will still generate some electricity when covered with a thin layer of snow that lets some sunlight through, we've had too much. So despite the brilliant blue skies, solar electricity and hot water generation have been zero.
And we finished the day singing Compline by candlelight.
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