More snow and life in general...

I am happy to say that the snow has continued to fall and to stick where I live! I love it!! I could quite happily not go back to work and just live with the snow like this until the Spring comes. I heard a man on the radio the other day who lives up in Braemar in Scotland. He was talking about the cold and snow up there and was just about to go and collect wood for his wood burning stove.He sounded so laid back and content.If I had enough money to live on without working, then that is the type of life that I would like to lead.A nice thick walled cottage, log fires... ho hum!

I would be very happy if we had winters like this and then hot sunny summers. Usually we live in a world of grey drizzle and it is too dull for words. At least with this snow we are having a proper winter.Luckily for me I live only a 5 -10 minute walk to the shops so I can get food and other bits and bobs without using the car. I rather like walking and have decided to do much more of it this year.

I am going to walk to work more and up to the shops more. That way I am helping both the world and my waistline. Talking of which ( my waistline... not the world... ) its my day for weighing myself tomorrow.I wonder if I have lost any weight? I have been very good and have not cheated this week. I haven't even drunk any wine... at all!! I went and tried on a coat in the sales this week and it wouldn't even do up... how depressing!!

Still, I have been watching various tv programmes on obesity and I don't think I have too much to worry about compared to some people.I have realised over the last week how much of my eating is out of habit and sheer boredom.Amazing really.When this snow clears I will start running again and that will help shift some pounds.

Well, that's it for now... Here are some more snow pics for you!!

Snow day !!!!

I have had a lovely day!! I was at first dismayed to discover that my school was going to be open today, despite the heavy snow and forecast, but grew happy as the call came through to say that the place was to be shut for the day after all.I was just on my way out the door - all in my snow gear, ready to walk as there was no way my car was going to get me there!

I have spent the day with my Man and my boys and the girls next door, sledging, snowballing and building snowmen.In between these activities I have worked on my essay - sorting out alliteration, enjambment, caesurae and goodness knows what else!! You may realise here that I am shamelessly name dropping. Before my course, indeed before a month ago, I had no idea what caesura or enjambment meant.I have discovered that they are either a cutting off of a line mid flow or getting your poetical leg over!! Well, that is the heathen in me coming out ... sorry.

Anyway, enough of poetry, blah blah blah. Now for some pictures for you of our day and our snowmen!!

And that is wrong because.......

Well, again its been a long time.I hope that you all had a good Christmas? Ours was quiet and uneventful, but nice.We had a lovely get together on the afternoon of Christmas Eve and then spent Christmas Day with just the four of us.

I went over to my Mum's for her birthday drinks party and that proved eventful! It usually takes me about 45 minutes on a good day. There had been snow, so I checked the forecast which predicted light snow for both our areas. Not enough to stop me going so off I set at 3pm. The party started at 7pm so we had lots of time to get there and maybe go for a walk.Not so... In the end it took us 7 and a half hours to get there!! Heavy snow meant that we had to abandon the car eventually and walk for 2 and a half hours to get to my Mum's house.Still, we got there in the end and all was well.

My two brothers and their wives have been staying with my Mum over Christmas.She worships the very ground they tread on so I am quite sure that they have had a lovely time.My brothers and their wives all get on well together too so it all sounds lovely.Unfortunately they left today and my Mum phoned me this evening. She had obviously been drinking, but I was patient and listened to her as she complained about the fact that my sons had not given me the message that she had called earlier.Then she asked if I had told my sons something that I won't go into here.

I had told them. Its not a massive secret... its something lovely and I wanted them to know. They were also told that for now it had to remain between us as family. They understood and have not said a word.Unfortunately this was not ok with my Mum.Having had our conversation she phoned back about 30 minutes and a couple of scotches later.She could not believe that I had told them.Now, bear in mind that I had not been told not to say anything to them and I had asked them to keep it under their hats.She has a way of making me feel so angry.She treats me like an 8 year old that she is telling off. I felt my blood pressure rising and was so tempted to just tell her what I thought. But I did not.I listened to what she said, in silence, and then said ok and goodbye.I was not going to apologise as I had done nothing wrong, but I did not want to get involved in an argument. She is obviously upset that both boys have left today and has had too much to drink.

It makes me feel so crap that I drive through the snow for 7 and a half hours to get to her and she doesn't seem to appreciate my present ( my drawing which I mounted and framed for her ) She is always going on about how wonderful my brothers are and at the slightest thing she thinks I have done wrong she treats me like ... I wish you could hear the tone of her voice.The derision in it for me is palpable.

I am just glad that I didn't bite back.Why does she make me feel this way? My brother would probably say that I allow myself to feel this way, but you know what? She doesn't speak to my brothers the way she does to my sister and me. I try so hard to be a good daughter, but I just don't seem to have what she wants.