The icicle tree.

Please view large.

The snow is still with us after a bitterly cold night. Found my wash hand basin and shower would not drain. Went out to examine the down pipe which looked OK and as the back of the house faces south a few hours in the sun solved the problem. No burst pipe thankfully.
Used the snow as the perfect excuse to laze. Only the odd bit of tidying. Roomba, my robot vacuum chuntered around downstairs and I plowtered around in the garden taking photos. The monkey puzzle tree was planted by an old neighbour, one of identical twins. It was quite out of character and I think she felt guilty as it is far too large for where it is. But it flourishes and it reminds me of her and what a lovely person she was.
Later I braved the hard packed snow in the street to drive to the Pillars. There were lots of parked cars and it was slippery. Got to the end and was stuck for a moment. Couldn't go forward or back but persevered and then I was onto snow free roads. The Pillars had been cleared with a tractor so I got bread and milk and a smoothie and seaweed crisps. I really like them. Back to my sofa with no trouble. Maybe tomorrow I'll go further afield.