A Frosty Morning - Part One

 Life in a caravan has many upsides. There are just a few downsides: one of them being the cold. 

It was the cold that woke Briar. She came to in the chill grey of the morning on her narrow sofa bed, huddled under her thickest blanket. It was a good blanket, the warmest she had, made for her by her Grandmother Mellow.

Briar lifted her nose from beneath the covers, exhaling into the frigid air. A little cloud of mist rose up from her mouth when she did. She pulled the covers back up higher than before. Her ears tingled in the cold. 

Turning slowly, she peered out the window. The whole meadow on the edge of the woods was frozen white, encrusted in a thick layer of frost.

She sat up slowly, feeling the cold seep into her fur without the barrier of the blanket, and dressed as quickly as she could.

In the bathroom, Briar twisted the tap over the little sink to wash her face and splash her paws. 

No water came out; the supply pipe must be frozen.

The floor was very very cold on her bare paws. She had very little warm clothing, no jacket and no shoes or boots. She put on only her scarf and creaked open the door to peer out at the frozen landscape.

Frosty tendrils of grass nipped at her feet. Briar didn't own a pair of shoes, having no need for them, but she wished heartily now that she did. 

The water bucket outside the door that she had filled yesterday at the River Ripple was frozen solid.

The frosty meadow was beautiful, but it was so cold that Briar returned inside to retrieve her warm blanket and donned it like a cloak, wrapping it around herself.

It was far too cold for any painting or even sketching, at least not until her paws thawed out, but she could still enjoy the beauties of nature. It was as though someone had dusted a thick layer of sugar over the ground. 

Warmed a little inside the folds of the blanket, Briar set off for an amble over the frozen grasses.

A little patch of ground was already basking in the first rays of sun, and Briar stood for awhile on the twinkling ice as it began to melt, warming herself too. 

Then she turned and made her way back over the ice-bound meadow.

Back at the caravan, Briar lugged the heavy frozen bucket into the kitchen. Still garbed in her blanket to ward off cold, she was able to light the stove with shaky paws and position it nearby to melt.

When at last the little stove had heated the caravan's small rooms sufficiently, Briar could heat the kettle and poured herself the hottest cup of tea she'd ever dared drink.

Then she sat on the sofa and sipped it, thinking over what to do next. It was a pity she owned so little warm clothing. There must be a particularly cold winter ahead, she thought, as it was yet only autumn. The thought of frostier days ahead chilled her. If she was to get by even comfortably here in the woods, she would need a winter coat, some booties, perhaps even a shawl. Maybe she could write to Grandmother Mellow and ask for one. Grandmother was always looking for a chance to knit or crochet. 

Everything else would all cost money, unfortunately - hard earned money that was as of yet rather scarce. But it had to be done. A rabbit couldn't let herself freeze. Briar sipped her tea and made a plan for the day ahead. 

To Be Continued

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This came about only because I wanted to take some pictures in the frost, and Briar was easiest to grab. As I took the pictures an idea for a little story formed. Hopefully in the next part I will be able to feature a few more characters and places that haven't yet really had a chance to feature on my blog. 

I hope you too are keeping yourself warm and enjoying Spring or Autumn!