Survival

We've survived! It felt a little touch & go in the early evening when we got back from our meal at the pub yesterday. The weight of food was incredible, the feeling of bloatedness uncomfortable. We're not used to eating in the middle of the day & a whopping three course meal, generous portions at that, followed by tea & coffee & mince pies is a bit much. The mince pies defeated us all & remained untouched.

The evening did pick up later with "Beauty & the Beast", followed by champers & jazz.

It is with some relief that I turn to more normal routines today. I've prepared a few less spuds today. After yesterday I think it will be a relief. The venison puddings are out of the freezer, thawing out ready to be cooked & eaten with our chef friend in mind.

The snow is disappearing. Yesterday it was freezing. You could hear the approach of people by the crunch on the frozen snow. Even a bicycle crunched along. Then last night it turned to rain. We had a vision that if it froze again as the night went on, it would be one great skating rink out there. Now, as I was filling up the seed holders for the birds, the rain began again.

Snow is one of those things I marvel out when it first arrives. It transforms the world & look so pretty when it is still pristine & untrod. However, the novelty soon wears off, as the snow turns slushy & reveals its true nature ie each flake is centred on a grit of dirt, and the inconveniences of sliding everywhere or being housebound settle in. I'm glad to see it go.

And for life to get a bit more back to normal. I know it won't truly do so until next year but at least we can eat more normally, less gargantuan portions at a more reasonable hour. Roll on 2010!