"Major cold: pheasant hens brood"

As the sun moves to 120º on the ecliptic, we enter the last solar term of winter. This first pentad of ‘Major Cold’ began with aptly wintry conditions with the daytime maximums reaching the mid-teens and overnight minimums hovering just above 10ºC. Persistent light rains were followed by a glorious warm sunny Wednesday. It was succeeded by a moody overcast day that ended with a thunder storm. The pentad closed with another beautiful winter’s day.