Waiting for the snow train, originally uploaded by Fi in snowy Eden (sleepycat-gallery.com).

The view up the line while we waited for the train yesterday.

It was really nice to go to Carlisle together on the train on the Settle-Carlisle line. It was so pretty in the snow under a blue sky. Town was busy but not frighteningly so.
After leaving H at the man-creche (ie. the pub!) I shopped for a couple of hours – using my big Boots gift voucher to buy a top of the range electric toothbrush and also spending some times getting advise from Jessops on the damage to my camera sensor. Good advise – but the upshot (get the pun? up SHOT?? Camera?.. shot?) is that I will probably have to save up and buy a new camera rather than pay several hundred to fix it. Hey ho.

The ice is still really thick. There has been no thaw in well over a week and compacted snow is now just sheer ice. The roads are treacherous and the footpaths scary. When we got off the train and walked down the lane to the village H helped another lady and I negotiate the ice to the roadway as we teetered our way down the slope.

The pictures are of Clare (Piglet) and Lollykin (Laura) when they were small and include me too. All were taken in the early 1990’s. Clare is training to be a paramedic and Lol is now a brilliant teacher. Where’d the time go?

So – I said I wasn’t a bit hungry, and I wasn’t – but Hector brought through a big bowl of crisps and some choccie digestives. I ate them. Obviously.

Frank and Kate invited us over for drinks and nibbles to his new place in the village.
Its g-g-g-gorgeous! A stunningly converted upper floor of a barn just down the lane from us. We teetered down at noon on ultra-slippery ice. As ever Frank and Kate were superb hosts and it was great to spend Boxing Day with them and other folks we had met before and some we hadn’t. A really really nice afternoon.
Later on the snow on the roof slid off in a loud thud onto the outside steps. Bang!! It made us all jump.
Gingerly, oh-so gingerly, we walked home on ice that was thick, sheer and like glass.
I’m worried now about anyone I know who might have to be out and about driving in this – especially Clare.
This is the view from Franks place… overlooking the Eden Valley.

A corner of our festive table, originally uploaded by Fi in snowy Eden (sleepycat-gallery.com).

Delish!!
Roast lamb for Christmas dinner. Late afternoon, leisurely cooking and a bit of a triumph. The lamb was perfect – though that’s probably because it was from Cranstons.

A white Christmas!!! Wow. Its freezing out there and very pretty. No new snow today but what there is is not thawing at all. Christmas Eve was nice. A visit to Lis and then to see Sally, Campbell, Jamie and Jess and then an evening at the pub.
We got up VERY late – a real luxury lighting the open fire in the bedroom. It was lovely. We got one aother some really nice pressies and now the lamb is roasting and filling the kitchen with lovely smells. Meanwhile we’re feet up and watching the birds at the feeder outside the lounge window.

Sparkly, originally uploaded by Fi in snowy Eden (sleepycat-gallery.com).

On Monday it was difficult to get to work – local roads not cleared. On Tuesday it was impossible so a forced day at home. It was eerie and silent and still and a white out. These trees are in the garden of the house next door.

Red breast, originally uploaded by Fi in snowy Eden (sleepycat-gallery.com).

Mr Robin on his favourite branch – the view from my little desk in the lounge.

Like candleabra, originally uploaded by Fi in snowy Eden (sleepycat-gallery.com).

The ice and snow make it a magical scene even at a tiny level.

Snow glow mountain, originally uploaded by Fi in snowy Eden (sleepycat-gallery.com).

The snow began on Saturday and by Sunday 20th it was thick on the ground. The Pennines were glorious and glowing white.

Don’t you DARE laugh at me!, originally uploaded by Fi in snowy Eden (sleepycat-gallery.com).

Frank is a big show off. He does a good Catherine Wheel around branches by biting his tail and spinning.

fi on jeremy vine

You know the world is going crazy when the best rapper is a white guy, the best golfer is a black guy, the tallest guy in the NBA is Chinese, the Swiss hold the America’s Cup, France is accusing the U.S. of arrogance, Germany doesn’t want to go to war, and the two most powerful men in America are named ‘Bush’ and ‘Dick’

WHAT a day! My name all over the press and on the radio. And all because a press agency picked up some pictures I took in 2008 of starling flocks. Its been a very exciting day and it set my head spinning. I was a bit disappointed that the more tabloidy papers made the photos into a ‘witty’ story about the shape the flock made, but thankfully my name was missed off quite a lot of these. Getting a photo into the Telegraph was great though (snob? I suppose so – I’ll hold my hand up to that)

Some of my starling photos have been in the national press today. Star, Sun, Mail, Mirror, Telegraph, Express, Daily Record. AND I get paid for the images too.

THEN I was interviewed live on Radio 2 by Jeremy Vine.