A few days...

...away!

Monday came and so did the snow. Being booked to go away with my mother, I put everything in the car, including extra blankets, water, sandwiches and a shovel...I drive a mini. We set off. The longest part of the journey was my normal twenty minute journey to the local town, it took me an hour and a half. I stayed off the motorway (M25 north) and travelled via Hertford, Hatfield, St Albans to Hemel Hempstead, then headed south to the M25...which was clear and only had light traffic on it, along the M4 past Reading and Newbury...I had no problems, just driving carefully. The lanes near the hotel were a little dicy, but no different to those I have at home. As long as you are sensible, and don't do daft things, then you should be safe...unless an idiot comes at you!

Now I have over a foot of snow all over the garden, and the lane I can see from here is a tad icy, but traffic is moving, just slowly and carefully.

(photo's of hotel to follow)

Snow...

...and ice!

I couldn't have been listening to the weather forecast very well on Sunday, because when I padded across the landing yesterday morning, and looked out the window, there stretched before me was a blanket of white, all crisp and even...and deep enough not to have a blade of grass peeping through. It's still here today, though not quite as deep and even, but still white...and still chill!

I babysat grandsons yesterday, as they had one of those school inset days.

To start, their central heating isn't working properly, and as the day was so cold, granny decided to take them to her house...but, she needed the local shop first, which is past her house, through two villages, and down a steep hill. Unfortunately they don't grit those roads, and have only just started to outside granny's house, as they've seen fit to give us a bus! But, travelling sensibly...at 6-8 mph, we made it...then came the long way home. November 2007, my land rover skidded on mud left on the road from harvesting beets, in the Fens, and I ended upside down in a ditch...that was after being careful, so now I'm ultra careful...and I had two grandsons in my car, so 6-8 mph...is fine with me! They enjoyed the ride, and sparkling snow...and the village shop. They also had fun watching the squirrel hanging upside down from the bird feeder, and the birds foraging away around the base.

In the afternoon we made the unanimous decision to go to the cinema...Madagascar-Escape 2 Africa...and if you haven't, then you have to see those apes! They give the penguins a run for their money! Granny then took them shopping...so now I'm the wearer of a snug pair of suede, sheepskin lined boot/slippers...oh, and so warm today!

So today is my first "normal" day after the holidays...now where did I put that teapot!