March winds doth blow... This morning I was roused from my warm bed by a phone call from the oil company " apparently you're up to your knees in snow so we won't be able to reach you for a few days" Ah well, it was only to be expected; the country is gripped by a sudden, belated burst of real, old fashioned winter and naturally, I have run out of heating oil and Marmite. Yesterday's sparkling perfection has been replaced by a wild, knife sharp wind, stirring horizontal drifts which are interspersed with slow spirals of new settling snow. The flakes appear sometimes to rise back up again as if undecided. We are inside a snow-globe in the hands of a particularly rowdy child.The first thing I did, once firmly wrapped in assorted layers and the stove had been fed, was to cook a pan of brown rice to feed the birds. They're out there now, occasionally blown sideways and it's quite funny to watch Mr Nutty the Nuthatch adapt his feeding style to eating from a pan on the ground-he would much rather be upside down and seems out of place on a flat surface. Blue, Coal and Great Tits as well as squabbling Robins and a Blackbird or two have also visited, but no sign of Mr Pecky the Woodpecker, I do hope he is safe somewhere.If you have been reading this blog for a while you might know that normally I would be in my element, despite the lack of heating. Being snowed in has traditionally been my absolute favourite time for creativity, reflection and self indulgence; an excuse to re-read "The Long Winter" and  "Moominland Midwinter" whilst wrapped in blankets by the stove. This time I'm feeling a little out of sorts and thinking, be careful what you wish for. Loneliness  is a bit of a hot topic at the moment ( if you'll excuse the irony) and whilst I won't deny I love  my rural solitude and actively need periods of isolation to feed my imagination, it feels very different to the winters in Yorkshire. I suppose living on the edge of a community that one is part of  and knowing family and friends are close, is very different to living in a place where you realise that there is actually no one to call on if you need to, which is why today was encouraging. For the first time in 3 years our neighbour from the next farm drove over to ask if I was ok and if I needed anything! I think extreme weather brings out the best in people and it made me quite emotional. The past 3 years have brought so many new challenges but the main one has been dealing with feeling displaced and unsure of my own new identity and here is a thing... don't assume someone will ask for help or company, it's really hard to ask, especially if you're shy, fiercely independent or have a historical reason to mistrust neighbours on quad bikes. That thing about checking in with people is really important though, we should all try to reach out moreI think.Last weekend I was in Grasmere house and dog sitting for the bookshop people. It was the most perfect crispy clear, sunny winter weekend and I even spent time snoozing in a chair outside listening to an audio book. In the evenings I sat by the Aga and became hopelessly addicted to watching  "Anne with an E" on Netflix. Oh, it's been a very long time since I first met Anne Shirley and something about the opening credits, the Tragically Hip soundtrack and the story of a girl just wanting to belong somewhere made me weep like a fool, and laugh and then weep again. There is something especially moving about revisiting childhood stories as an adult and if I had worked harder at school I'd be able to write you a learned essay on why Anne of Green Gables is more than just a cute kid's book...for me it's something to do with optimism and a sense of place, the importance of  landscape, acceptance of difference and feeling at home...  “Its strange to love a place like you would a person, but I do!”. Anyway I bought the book when I worked in Sam Read's  and will spend the rest of World Book Day reading and channeling my inner Anne.I'll be drawing the winner of my Newsletter Subscribers Draw later, I can't quite believe it's March! April marks the 1oth anniversary of this blog as well as 10 years since I graduated from CCAD with my shiny First Class Honours degree and set out to make my fortune. Hmmm, fortunes are hard won and the road is definitely full of pot holes but in the mean time I'll keep on feeding the birds, drawing bears and wondering about the further adventures of this character...Hell's teeth it's cold...keep warm. xReading "Anne of Green Gables" L.M. Montgomery Listening to: "Ahead by a Century" Tragically HipSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave