The world from my window

There is a deep frost this morning and the nude nymph who greets motorists to the village is snuggled up in a colourful hooded coat. The dogs' breath and mine comes out in great clouds as we walk across the fields. They sniff a large frozen cow pat, with three holes in the top. It looks like a giant's discarded button. On a pheasant shoot across the valley, shotguns retort to one another, echoed by the barking of dogs anxious to be taken out for a walk by their sleepy owners. It is 2010. The first decade of the 21st century ends with a blue moon. The new year begins with thick heads and the sound of morris dancers in the village square. What will the next 12 months bring to the village? A period of uncertainty, with the publicans leaving, the shop up for sale and our new vicar trying to manage a scattered group of parishes with the help of retired clergy and laity while the church hunts for a new team rector to run the show. The primary school will re-open for the new term with