Winter mornings

For the first time this year I really didn't want to get up when the alarm went off. Normally I am a morning person, often up well before the alarm, but today it was dark, my bed was cosy and I could hear it was very windy and wet outside. Also the house was cold. So far this year we have only lit the wood burners a couple of times on the coldest of evenings. Later on we will light them both and keep them in continuously. Wood is free, we collect it throughout the year from various building jobs and have quite a stash. It does mean that there are numerous nails, screws and door hinges amongst the ashes, but we can live with that. We also have a small pile of 'proper' logs from hedging done the previous winter. These we keep for the Christmas holidays, when we tend to sit around more with an open fire. Keeping the wood burners lit the whole time, warms the whole house as the chimney and walls retain the heat, making the house warm to get up to.
However I did have to get up. We need to leave the house by 7 0 clock, this gives me an hour to see to all the animals before work, and before we do leave I like to let out the laying flock, feed and water them and clean their houses. This morning, it was just too dark. I opened their doors much to their surprise and alarm, put out food and fresh water but had to leave the cleaning and moving of houses until I returned.
Actually once up, it was nice to be out, I came home fresh and windblown, if a little wet.