Snowed In!!!! (by sarah)

Well we are not going anywhere!

Yep we are snowed in!

Unfortunatly we're supposed to be going to a Wedding on Saturday but we may not be able to get out of the vally to go :'(

Luckily we have (becuase I am paranoid) tins of baked beans, chooped tomatoes, spagetti, various soups, refried beans, bean sprouts, water cheshnuts, bamboo shoots, mushy peas, new potatoes and other sundres in the cupboard - not to mention cheese and jacket potatoes. We also have cooking plans for if the power gives out - ie jackets done in the fire and pastas and soups on the trangia!

The only problem is that without electricity we would be down to the fire (which we have plenty of coal for) and the parabolic gas heater - so we'd all have to sleep down stairs and put a blanket over the entrance to the stairs as all our heat tend to go up them!

As extra messures we have pegged a thick curtian sideways on over the kitchen window (pegged to the net curtian) - this is becuase the curtian rail still isn't up so we only have a net at the window - plus the curtains we do have for it are light summer ones - still need to make the thick wintre jobbys! Also closing the door to the office has made a great difference as has the insulating foam strips my Uncle got for us. The office is over the stable which is pretty open to the elements and its floor is basically floor boards laid over the beams so it gets a tad nippy in there. I am really not happy about how much heat we must be just pumping into the environment 🙁

Still we fixed the issue with the fire not burning hot enough and all the hot air going straight up the chimney - its called a tin foil sheet but more on that in a later post!

Here are some pictures of the grounds at the moment!

The crocuses are determined to flower anyway and the fur tree seems to be enjoying it!

The cows at the end of the drive didnt seem to bothered either - I couldnt beleive some of them where sitting down in the snow - mind due these are rare breed ones so are a bit more hardy.

Purely artistic this shot - I was looking for something that showed wintre and the forest in one.

I thought the stream looked a bit like it belonged in Narnia!

The Water garden looks so different from how it did in the summer!

We are starting to look like a packet of christmas cards I feel! - good job we made loads of fat and seed bird feeders last night with the scouts! I think the poor wildlife is going to need it!

Jean and cats (by sarah)

Every where Jean goes she seems to find cats! 🙂

She loved it when we visisted Charlee and Andy on route from Essex back to Gloucestershire.

The Masked Ball (by sarah)

This year - as for the previous two - we went to the Masked Ball in Oxford. I just about squeezed back into the outfit I wore the first year - which as it was made big as I was pregnant if not very, was about the only outfit that currently fits - everything else being either to big or two small! There was however a lot of 'shoe horning' me into the corset and it took three people to do it up!

Here are my pictures of the event!

However for descent pictures of the event I suggest you look at Carina's photos!

Burn Baby Burn (by sarah)

A few weeks ago we helped Barbara with a 'bonfire' these are regular occurances and are designed to get rid of the stuff thats too smokey to burn on the fire and too woody to compost. It was a very smokey affair.

I wanted to get a photo of Barbara jumping up and down on top of the fire to 'get it going' but alas she was too quick and by the time I'd got the camera she had climbed down again!

The Cats! (by sarah)

Cute and funny cat pictures!

An Interllectual Minni:

Minnis arch nemasis - the Kittens!

The Truce: