Pretty snow, and pretty hard to prune

The weather has been, and continues to be, exceptional. I had intended to start pruning yesterday but have a look at this photo comparison of the 1940s orchard: Christmas Day on the right, today on the left. It's flaking away again right now. I saw a flock of long-tailed tits yesterday which is encouraging as they are very vulnerable to hard winters, being tiny and insectivorous. At night time they often roost communally with their bodies together and tails sticking out, a sight surely very few people have ever seen. Get the fat balls out!

Look at how the snow crystallises the branching shape of this old sycamore.