And I thought it was a big nippy here in blighty. Joan sent me these contrasting pictures, saying she is hermetically sealed into this beautiful scene in Ontario. This is her farm house in snow - with more snow on the way.

The cat is Lucky Jim. One of the two that Toby and Romy had, before he was sent back to the farm in disgrace for doing bodily harm to Meatball the other cat. Now a reformed character, Joan says he insists on going with them when they walk the dogs and has the advantage of being light enough to stay on top of the snow.

Proving the superiority of felines yet again, in that a good cat is as good as a dog, but significantly better at being a cat.