I'm dreamin' of a white Christmas ........etc!

At last ....we've had snow! Only a couple of inches, but perfect crispy snow! It made me very happy. I love the muffled silence that descends along with the snow, I love seeing the number of animal tracks across the lawn, I love the birds flocking onto the feeders in search of food, I love having to squint against the brightness of the snow and I love the sound of laughter as people play..............!
(I didn't much love the taxi driver who slid into me on an icy road yesterday though! Good job I was in the Land Rover - BIG dint in his bumper, not a scratch on the Landy and just a bit of whiplash for me but First-Born was fine. Would have been much worse in an ordinary car!)

If you look very carefully you might just be able to make out the rose on the bush by the front door - it has kept flowering for months and hadn't cottoned on to the fact that it is winter!

Acer x Conspicuum 'Red Flamingo'

A tantilising glimpse of the tea house roof......

....and another!

Ceefer cat walks on water - well, okay, the iced up pond.

I suspect the woodpile will have to wait a bit longer to get chopped up now.

Cornus Albus.


Snow on an old tree root in the yard - found on a beach and carried about a mile to 'safety' by the 4 of us. It was flippin' heavy, but lovely! I have yet to find the perfect spot for it - but I will.

Looking up the back garden to the 6ft high snowman me, Himself and the Gnomelets built in the dark last night after a snowball fight :)

We only went out to take the nets off the fruit cage and the brassica cage, but things sort of developed from there really!!!

Colour in the snow.

Whilst all was white and wonderful outside, Christmas colour was developing in the house.

This is our 'Danish branch' in the kitchen. We nicked this tradition years ago after spending Christmas with our Danish friends and it's now an integral part of Christmas for us - and reminds us of our friends.

Even the piano has a bit of Christmas cheer...

Everyone is expected to join in!

Himself always asks me to buy a small tree ..... and I really do mean to but somehow the big ones always call out to me - so what's a girl to do?!

Danish candles

Ceefer cat was singularly unimpressed by Christmas preparations!

Meanwhile, back out in the garden;

Regular readers of my blog are well used to seeing me attempt to win the 'the worst dressed gardener' award ....... I think I was on a full set of thermals, 5 other layers, 2 pairs of socks and hot packs in my gloves at this point!!!!

with Himself trying to get an honorable mention....even HE had thermals on that day!

However, in the interest of proving that we don't always look like complete slobs, this is us on our way to Himself's company Christmas 'do' last week........ it was a Bond themed evening and great fun, but proved that I am rubbish at Blackjack and Roulette!

...we scrub up quite well really!

and I'm trying to match the Bond girl siloutte - almost!

and on that note ........a Merry Christmas to everyone and a happy, healthy, prosperous New Year!