Today winter hit Norfolk, days behind the rest of the country.

While much of the west has been covered in a blanket of snow for five days (in some places up to 17 inches deep), here in the east we have had little snow until today.

I woke up, opened the curtains and was met with the most beautiful wintery scene – with fields dusted in snow and mist flowing across the horizon.

Although the snow generally causes chaos across the country, I started the morning by embracing it – dogs in tow we skidded out for a walk – only then realising how hazardous the conditions were.

The roads were covered in black ice, the snow only masking what was below.

That didn’t stop the dogs enjoying the rarity of snow which seemed to fill them with boundless energy – they started tearing up and down the footpaths in the snow, grabbing mouthfuls of it where they could and pawing at icy puddles.

During the day the temperature didn’t creep past 1 degree Celsius, with much of the snow solidly iced in the same place it had fallen.

The late afternoon dog walk was full of refreshingly crisp air and dramatic shadows cast by the low-slung sun.

For the dogs, the novelty of the snow did not wear off and they continued to be invigorated by it – running around manically for the entire walk.

Tonight the snow has melted in places but with falling temperatures we could be in with another few tricky days.