Here in the Cotswolds, it’s been a fairly continuous dose of the white stuff since early Friday – and all day today Sunday. Main roads have been kept open though, so traffic has been light but reasonably free-flowing, ‘drive with care’ being the operative phrase for safe travel.

Chipping Norton’s 17th century alms houses (main and above) look even prettier than usual, while St Mary’s churchyard (below) has been transformed into something resembling a picture postcard.

Minor roads in Chipping Norton have seen a mini-snowplough trundling up and down – a most impressive sight, after personal experience of village life, where such things were unheard of!

Also, large hoppers of strategically positioned grit have allowed locals to keep driveways and paths to their front doors reasonably clear.

Whatever difficulties it creates, snow is of course, a magical substance that transforms the mundane into a thing of beauty, and heavy frosts have given many plants, especially their leaves, a Kirlian-like fringe of glittering white.

The first snowfall of the winter is a thing of magic, especially when it is entirely unexpected. Where were the weather warnings the other night? Nowhere!

No matter: the light sprinkling that arrived in the small hours did little to hold up daily activities here in Chipping Norton, but certainly added a sparkle to the landscape.

I went out to take some shots and here they are, the rural scenes captured in and around Water Tank field, with town centre rooftops framing the hills beyond. Below, New Street is clear for traffic though in the distance, the fields gleam with a light frosting of snow.

Coming soon, I will be adding online picture ordering to the website, the idea being that if you like the look of an image you’ll be able to order up your own print of it. Well, that’s the idea anyway; meantime enjoy these pictures of our light sprinkle of Cotswold snow, starting with tyre tracks in Rowell Way.

For black-and-white photo-fans, patterns made by furrows are picked out easily.

The pictures (above and below) were all taken in and around Water Tank field. It’s a popular walk, especially liked by dogs and their owners.