Ivy wood, ice, and some colours on a cold and frosty morning

Last night was the coldest night so far this winter for us. I noticed one reddish spot on a rhododendron bush at the bottom of the garden and went down to look. I found ice on the drive that had not melted by noon. Frost stayed on the plants that only had the very early sunlight or none directly.

But the sun shone on some old ivy wood growing around an iron fence post and showed up its tangles

You can see a little of the fence post in this pic

Some shots of ice patterns on the drive:

 The determined rhodie flower and some persistent ragwort

The main summer flower head of the same ragwort plant

 Walking back up the hill, I stopped to appreciate frosted mosses and leaves, and the curly spent seed head of a willowherb

And by the young rowan where all kinds of berry-eating birds perch and drop well-fertilised seeds, I enjoyed the red lingering leaves of a 'bird planted' cotoneaster against the cool blue sky.

I spent some time doing more terrace tidying with strimmer and brushes and rakes. A buzzard flew in and perched nearby for a short time – not long enough for me to get a photo.

Clouds are now building above the hills to the north. I'm wondering if they will mean more snow or whether tonight will be less cold because of their insulating effect. Time will tell.