Balbirnie House (Balbirnie House Hotel) in winter. 28/1/21 to be precise:-

A week or so later, snow had fallen:-

Snow on Balbirnie Golf Course:-

It’s traditional at this season of the year to list what has most impressed over the past twelve or so months. Except I’ve only done it once before. Twelve months ago.

Once again I find ten books stood out over the year.

In order of reading they were:-

Snow by Orhan Pamuk
Gentlemen of the Road by Michael Chabon
Empty Space by M John Harrison
New Finnish Grammar by Diego Marani
Dark Eden by Chris Beckett
Spin by Nina Allan
The Feast of the Goat by Mario Vargas Llosa
Girl Reading by Katie Ward
Planesrunner by Ian McDonald
Fire in the Blood by Irène Némirovsky

4 are translations, 4 are SF*, 3 are by women. Make of that what you will.

*If you count the last section of Girl Reading, that would be 4 and a bit.

My workplace was badly disrupted by the recent snow but the surroundings were lovely when we resumed on Tuesday.

I was a day too late taking these photos. The trees still had snow on them on Wednesday but I’d forgotten the camera. By Thursday it had fallen off.

I took all these from inside so you can see reflections of lights in the window glass.

This is a view to the main road (all but blocked by abandoned cars for most of the week.) The jannies* had done a great job clearing the car park.

Snow had fallen from the higher roof here onto the lower one causing a lot of damage.

There were some nice icicles hanging around.

The Christmas tree looks a little forlorn here. There is actually a pond in this picture.

A couple of courtyards now. The first has some snow covered pergolas. By Friday all the snow had gone.

*Scottish diminutive for janitor. For those from the south who don’t know what one is a janitor is a caretaker.

I woke up this morning to that rarity in Kirkcaldy, a heavy snowfall. This is only the third or so time in over twenty years here that there’s been enough to build a snowman. There must have been at least three inches. Very festive. Thank goodness I’m on holiday.
When I ventured out it wasn’t as cold as yesterday, though.
I’m hoping the game is off on Saturday as I’d like to watch David Tennant’s Hamlet and it starts at 5.05.