It seems that parts of Cornwall are experiencing snow and icy conditions at the moment. I’m crossing my fingers that Plaidy beach doesn’t have any otherwise getting out and about could be problematic for me being based at the bottom of a hill, the dogs having four legs and better balance wouldn’t be so hammered!

Fortunately the sheltered cove has protected us from the cold. The dog’s body clocks were thrown into a state of confusion by the unseasonably mild weather and the recently installed under-floor heating which has had them moulting profusely since I arrived at the end of December! I am a magnet for their black hair so have garbed myself from head to toe in dark clothes, which are practical and slimming!

Despite moulting, my canine charges still have thick coats which I’m sure they appreciated at the weekend when we got caught in a hail shower whilst walking over the Wool Down. It felt so cold up there, the air stung my nostrils as I breathed in and I couldn’t feel the end of my nose. Herc didn’t seem at all bothered by the frozen rain that pinged off of his snout and settled on his back, he trotted purposefully ahead of me whilst his sister, Helle, used me to shelter behind!