Everything is froggy

When my eldest belle was little we woke one morning to find fog outside and she rushed to tell me that everything in the world had gone dusty. This is probably a reflection on my housekeeping abilities - or lack of. My middle belle always used to say it was froggy. Today it's very froggy outside my window. I'm just glad that when I drove back from the day job that it wasn't freezing and froggy.
At least the snow seems to be moving and the belles are back at school.Hopefully my brain will thaw out along with the snow. I stalled on Just Look at Me Now so I really need to crack the whip and get it finished. I always hate wrapping stories up so it's no surprise that I'm procrastinating - curse you bejewelled blitz and midas mahjong! I promise I'll be back on track by the weekend.

All white mate?

It's still snowing here even though rather oddly the sun is shining too. The main roads are okay at the moment - you just need to look out for ice patches and people who can't drive in bad weather. I made it into the day job yesterday - did as much as I could but since a lot of what I would have liked to have done depended on others and those others weren't available I was a bit stymied. Still, it was good to get some stuff out of the way.
Despite the weather I've started this year in a really positive mood. I'm determined to make the most of this decade and I'm feeling pleasantly bouncy and optimisitic even if my healthy eating plan hasn't got started yet, due to a surplus of Christmas goodies still inhabiting my house and an overwhelming desire to eat fresh crusty bread with pies and casseroles because it's so cold out.
I've 7.5 chapters of Just Look at Me Know to go before the first draft is finished and the real work starts and it's driving me nuts as I know what I need to do to change it and shape it and make it shiny and pretty.
Thank you to everyone who's contacted me about Crystal Clear! I do hope you enjoy it. At least as it's set in a beautiful Devon seaside town in the height of summer it might help chase those cold, wintery blues away!

snow woe is me

It's snowing. Lots of big white fluffy flakes whirling down from the sky and sticking to the ground. The belles are now off school till Thursday - apparantly over the hols a water main burst and the school has no water - or heat! Joy.
The Christmas decs are now down except for the Santa signs outside the front door which are frozen into the ground so will probably be there till the Spring. I'm hoping that the roads will stay clear for tomorrow as I'm back at the day job then and I've several meetings booked. My jobshare partner lives near Oxford so if this weather hangs on there is no way she can make it in. The eldest belle was very happy to get a call yesterday from one of the sixth form colleges that she's applied to offering her an interview next Monday. Coincidentally, thats also her 16th birthday - hope the snow is gone by then.

Dashing through the snow...

Well, I don't dash anywhere these days but we did get snow last night. Luckily my friend made it to my house this morning and we had a lovely catch up. Hopefully it won't be as long before we do it again. I've just a few parcels left to deliver now and a couple of cards. Fruit and veg are ordered from the farm shop for the big day so that will just leave bread to get and a couple of bitty things - other than that I'm pretty well set I think. On Wednesday we're going en famille to the Hippodrome in Brum to see Sleeping Beauty with Ray Quinn and Joe Pasquale. I don't know who is more excited, the belles or Mr Nell's Mum as she has a bit of a thing for Ray.
Then Christmas Eve it's the Christingle at Chapel and home to watch A Muppet's Christmas Carol. Although I am very, very disappointed with the DVD version as they've cut the scene that is in the original film where Scrooge and his old love sing the most beautiful song. Bah Humbug on Disney for doing that as it spoils the film. GO HERE and watch it

Snowed under

Well we got more snow during the night, schools are all closed again and more snow is forecast. It's melting at the moment but forecast to freeze and the sideroads are nasty - water pooled on top of compacted snow. I've decided to work from home as there was no way I could safely make it to work and home again. Luckily I've plenty of work to do that I can get on with here. (I'm typing this on my coffee break while I wait for an email) I'm so glad I'd already planned tomorrow as an annual leave day. It all looks very pretty from my office window with the fields and trees coated in white but the sky is still grey and heavy.
After last years fall on the ice I'm not risking my hip again, it's taken two years to get to the point where I've reasonable mobility and co-ordination so I'll stay indoors till the ice clears.
Okay, break over - back to work! Time and the PCT wait for no woman.

Anyone for a snowball fight?

Well, the snow fell and is still falling. The belle's schools are closed and I expect them to be shut tomorrow too. At the moment the side roads are bad but the main roads are clear. I made a quick trek to the shops during a break in the snowfall this afternoon so we have provisions. Does anyone think this will all miraculously have melted by Wednesday when I have to get to work?

Waiting for snow

We're supposed to get snow in the next couple of days. The sky is surly and leaden while the trees seem to be waiting. It's certainly cold enough outside. The wind is building and every now and again I see the remains of the long dead dry brown leaves of the Hawthorns swirl past my window. It's the kind of weather to make you want to stay in, curl up by the fire with a good book or an old film and a mug of hot chocolate.
Last night was movie night for me and the Shagster aka eldest belle. When Mr Nell is on nights we get to watch chick flicks in our jammies. Last night was Pretty in Pink - such a fun film with all the Eighties stuff going on in there and such great lines 'Blaine? His name is Blaine? That's not a name, it's a major appliance.' And who doesn't get a lump in their throat for the unrequited love of the Duckman.
I also got to read a good book. Janet Gover's The Farmer Needs A Wife - lovely stuff - seriously - go buy a copy, you won't be sorry.
For the next treat on our wintry weekend tonight is Dancing on Ice and the leg-end that is the fabulously unco-ordinated Todd Carty.

Snow!

We woke up this morning to two inches of snow. Miss la had to don her wellies to head off for school. The other two aren't back till tomorrow and had a shopping trip planned. Miss Boo has now spent her Christmas and birthday loot on an ipod nano and docking station. Miss shaggy is waioting till after her birthday on Sunday to decide what to spend her cash on. I spent my money too - I was intending to spend it in M&S, I wanted jeans, work trousers, tops etc but after looking through the racks a chat with the staff confirmed my suspicions. You can be tall and thin or short and fat but you can't be short and thin or tall and fat. They have cut back the size options on the ends of their clothing ranges so my chances of getting any new trousers that looked as if they hadn't fallen out with my ankles was precisely nil.
Fortunately the sale was still on in Jacques Vert so I now have a very beautiful black suit (see pic) and a gorgeous top. I think I'll have to give up on the jeans for yet another year unless I manage to stick with my weight loss plan.
It's been two days - why aren't I thin already?

Snow and birthdays

Today is my birthday and the schools are closed because of the snow, which means my birthday meal out is looking a bit shaky. I should have gone out on Tuesday with my friend but she had to bail because she's buried under work, so I don't think socialising is in the stars for me this week. The kids are outside making a snowman. I give La about fifteen minutes before she comes back in wet through and dithering telling me she doesn't like snow.
My presents were interesting from the girls. My dh had coerced them into buying me a bottle of Happy, my favourite perfume but the two little ones decided to present me with a gift of their own choosing too. La gave me a tiny snowglobe which she informed me she'd meant to give me last year but forgot. Boo gave me a small teapot. I don't drink tea. She then went on to say she'd won it at the school summer fair and not to worry about the damaged box lid as that was where she'd torn the raffle ticket off.
I love birthdays!