Snowy Stuff

Good afternoon

Yes, I know another blogger with snow pics - am sure you've seen plenty but trust me I've limited myself to just 9 in a mosaic - there are rather a lot more I could share ;)

School was closed again today - hardly a surprise it snowed so much yesterday afternoon, evening and overnight. When I woke to the radio telling me the bus depot nearby wasn't sending any buses out I knew it would mean no school. The boys had second guessed this and the deal was only to wake them if school was on - so I left them snuggled under their duvets for as long as they wanted.

Little son appeared just half an hour later than normal - he's growing again and his tummy was rumbling.

Once we'd packed MrVV off to work - it took him a while to find his car under a thick blanket of snow - we got sorted and started another snowy day.

These pictures start on Friday - the boys & I played outside - towing each other on the sledge, throwing snowballs and of course making snow angels and a snowman.

The ruler shows the depth of snow on our picnic bench this morning - 4 inches not the 6 inches a certain man told me ;)

The front garden under its blanket of white fluff and a garden bench which won't be sat on today!!

The last 2 pictures are the view either way down the lane - both looking tempting and like a winter wonderland.

Today Little Son & I walked into town together - jobs needed doing and we collected my Mother-in-Law en route - we'd offered to do her shopping but she decided the fresh air and company would be lovely.

We shopped for more veggies for more soup and the first creme eggs of the season!! I also found a gorgeous vintage print single duvet cover in the charity shop which has now been converted into a draft excluder in front of our draughty patio doors - its seems to be doing the trick already.

I wonder what tomorrow will bring?

See you soon

xxx Vicki xxx

The world is sparkling today

Good afternoon

Just sitting down to a late lunch whilst a batch of bread rolls cooks in the oven.

Its been very much a home day today whilst I wait in for a parcel to be delivered - a vague sometime after 11 was the only time I was given!

No sooner had I posted yesterday, then the skies darken and snow began to fall. Not enough for snowmen or snowball fighting but enough to make the world sparkle.

This was the view this morning from our conservatory;

 Probably one of my favourite photos I've taken this year.

The Green Woodpecker has been a regular visitor to the garden for years - however he is very shy and I've struggled to get a decent picture of him. This morning I braved big sons room and sat at the open window and snapped away with my new toy.

Love the way Mr Woodpecker clears a patch of grass in his search for bugs in the ground.

I nipped into town first thing to do a post run and on the way back, I spotted the perfect picture. I quickly took my bike home and grabbed my camera.

 The view over the frozen fields.

 A frozen snow capped giant hogweed.

Then this picture - this is the one I had in mind :)

I also managed to tick many pictures from this months Scavenger Hunt list too but more on those at the end of the month - there's still quite a few that need hunting down.

I'd best be off - the rolls are nearly done and there's birthday presents that need wrapping for a certain persons 15th birthday tomorrow!

See you soon (probably with cake pictures!!)

xxx Vicki xxx

Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall - 2012 the best bits

Good morning

Slowly returning to normal here - MrVV has gone back to work today and I'm off back to the CS this afternoon for a shift. However those boys of mine are still dead to the world for another half an hour then I shall be evil Mum and go and wake them!

Time for another coffee and a blogging session.

One last look at 2012 - pictures that you've probably seen before but represent the past 12 months rather well for me and my family;

 

Winter

January saw me finally being able to cycle again after that minor incident on the dance floor!

Birthday season started for my menfolk.

Heavy snow in February meant family fun

The first flowers appeared in the garden promising warmer days very soon.

Spring

March brought my favourite flowers and a birthday trip to Cambridge.

April saw the influx of chocolate eggs and fluffy chicks.

May brought the arrival of Bertie and a trip to a gorgeous river side pub to celebrate May Day.

Summer

June the Jubilee celebrations and an evening with Mumford and Sons

July - Big Son's Prom and the Olympic Flame coming through nearby towns and villages.

August - a trip to Yorkshire in Bertie and the most amazing sunsets and then a wonderfully wet but fun day at a folk festival with Bellowhead as the finale.

Autumn

September - Sir Bradley Wiggins and his friends cycled through our little town one sunny Sunday morning.

October - time to hunt fairy houses.

November - those men of mine were marching and remembering.

The last picture is also November - one final look back over my shoulder.

No December pics as they are all rather too recent.

Time now to look forward to 2013 - I forgot one major important event happening this year when I posted the other day!

In March sometime before my birthday, I'm going to be an Auntie again. My baby sister is expecting her first child - I am guessing I'll know when the big event starts to happen even before I'm told - when my other 2 sisters had their babies I came out with sympathy pains even though I'd no idea they were in hospital!

I must get cracking on with my crochet - there's a blanket partially made for this baby and another that's needed for a special birthday later in the Spring!!

Oh good news - a quick blog surf yesterday found news of a new Photo Scavenger Hunt for 2013 - I've really missed the ones Kathy used to host. This new one is hosted by Greenthumb @ Made with Love - should keep my eyes open at all times this year!!

See you soon

xxx Vicki xxx

A little blast of wintery stuff

Good evening

Absolutely no doubt this morning that winter had arrived - when I peaked through the curtains it looked like someone had sprinkled the garden with icing sugar - all glittery & white. A sprinkling of snow and a layer of ice - very pretty.

I had to stop on the way to work this morning to post some letters - I thought this view was rather pretty;

I much prefer the cold weather to the wet - much easier to wrap up against the cold - I counted 15 separate items of clothing this morning! I felt rather like the main character in this book the boys used to love;

I took a few photos before I left the house - just a few seconds outside in my pj's was enough!

 Frozen leaves - we've given up in the battle with them.

 A neglected for the winter summerhouse - the spiders are welcome to live there for a while, its too cold to sit out there at the moment.

 An early morning departure - I wondered if they were off somewhere warm?

The sun starting to rise - love the silhouette of the bare branches against the sky.

I wonder what it will be like here tomorrow - the boys would love a snow day but I think that's a bit hopeful.

See you soon

xxx Vicki xxx

Another month bites the dust!

Good morning

Another month is almost at the end - tomorrow is December the final month of 2012 - I can't believe how quickly this year has gone. So many events have taken place and we are now into the time of year that is littered with events that happen every year - mainly brass / family stuff. I love this sense of familiarity and routine - it suits me down to the ground.

Tomorrow is the Christmas event in our little town - the band will be leading a parade and playing in the town square. It promises to be cold but that's ok - those brass players of mine have thermals and there's a nearby pub where they can warm up when they are not playing!

The weather has changed from wet & windy to cold and crisp - I love this and especially views like this;

Low winter sunshine with clouds that look like snow covered mountains.

I shall be wrapping up warm today and I'm off to Southwold with my MIL - we are going Christmas shopping and probably finding a warm cafe for a coffee & cake.

I'll leave you for today with a mosaic for November;

Baking, late flowering roses, poppy wearing, band parading, Christmas cake making, bare branches, misty mornings, soggy leaves and advent chocolates ready to go into the calendar.

See you Sunday with my first Pause in Advent for 2012.

xxx Vicki xxx

The one with snow in it - part 2

Good evening

I know 2 posts in one day! Well I've time to kill whilst my dinner is being cooked!

The teens got dressed pretty quickly for a weekend and after we'd found boots to fit little son (pesky growing boys!), we all headed outside. The snow was deeper that it first looked;

However my feet stayed dry - good job, I can't get my wellies on at the moment - my stupid foot can't get round the bend in the welly.

The menfolk decided that snow rugby was a good idea;

With snowball throwing added in for extra fun.

One of those rare photos of me - with big son;

Of course it wouldn't be a snow post without a snow angel pic;

We did head off for a walk but the unevenness of the snow was making my ankle ache so I headed home.

Once everyone was in, it was time to put the kettle on;

This afternoon has been spent like yesterdays - watching the rugby, drinking tea and finishing off a crochet make or two.

The snow shows no sign of melting so far - the boys are hoping that school is cancelled tomorrow - I think that unlikely but you never know.

See you soon

xxx Vicki xxx

The one with snow in it - part 1

Good morning

Thought I'd get in first with the snowy post!!

We had a little yesterday and then a bigger load overnight;

BBQ anyone?

 Someone has been about looking for food - good job the feeders are full and MrVV has just gone to defrost the birdbath.

Untouched snow - even the tatty trailer looks better with its white blanket.

One car not going far today.

 The summerhouse - wont be sitting out there today.

Instead after the obligatory walk in the snow (yes I'll be careful), I think I'll spend this afternoon the same as I did yesterday - crochet, a mug of tea and a rugby match to cheer at :)

Once the teens are dressed we're off out to play - expect photos of snow angels and snowballs sometime soon.

Have a good day.

xxx Vicki xxx

Cakes & looking forward

Good morning

Hope you are all well? and your festive preparations are going smoothly? Sort of slowly getting sorted - waiting for a parcel or two to arrive and then I need to plan a festive food shop nearer the time. There's the small matter of retrieving the tree from the attic - I've decided I want to put it up this weekend.

Apart from Christmas preparations and trying to catch up with jobs that are 3 months overdue! I've made sure I've found time to catch up with my Christmas mag reading & cake eating!

Yesterday was a baking day - the boys seem hungrier than ever at the moment and the cake tins needed refilling. As I was making pastry for a quiche for dinner it seemed a good idea to make extra for a batch of mince pies;

A good friend moved house last week so I thought I'd make her a card;

I've also continued with my December ritual of lighting a candle each day - I do this to bring light into the house during these darker days and use it as a point in my day to remember those that aren't with us anymore. It also reminds me that the dark days will soon be over and we've the lighter days to look forward to - the Solstice is the 22nd so after that the days will slowly start to lengthen.

The weather has continued to be pretty awful here - the wind has battered the garden. The cherry tree has almost lost all its leaves now - you can just see the start of buds that will burst into flower when the springtime comes;

 I spotted another sign of growth the other day. Last spring I bought several pots of hyacinths to brighten the house out - when they finished they were left in the conservatory to die back with a view to planting them in the autumn. This got forgotten about with everything else going on. However I noticed that the bulbs had started to sprout again - so I've bought them all into the warm and I'm hoping they'll be flowering sometime soon;

Finally for today - good news - I'm stick free :) Had a physio appointment first thing this morning and he's said that I really don't need them anymore. I've also been told that I should be back riding my bike by the middle of next month - now that is something to really look forward too.

Keep warm & safe and I'll see you soon.

xxx Vicki xxx

Brass bands & winter warmers

Good afternoon

Still cold here in Suffolk today with the added treat this morning of sleet & hail when I was trying to do my jobs in town and cycle to see my Grandma. Not planning on leaving the house now until tomorrow - am wrapped up well and have been keeping warm whilst being busy in the kitchen.

When I was out this morning, I popped into a couple of the charity shops and of course I didn't leave empty handed. This little bunch of wooden soldiers reminded me of MrVV & Little son's band;

Here's 2 of my menfolk on Sunday. They played in Framlingham for the Christmas Charity Market - for Little Son this was the first time he'd played out with the big band. His junior band were supposed to play elsewhere but that got cancelled due to the weather. Instead it was suggested as he's been practising hard he'd like to come along & play with the other more experienced players. He had a great time and has now arranged to play for a few other engagements with them over the next few weeks.

Now I hadn't been to Framlingham for years so in order to keep warm and amuse myself for a while, I took a wander around the town and also over to the castle;

I've been knitting like a woman possessed these past couple of days, I've finished my wrist warmers and made a start on 2 more pairs. A pair the same as mine for a sister and another pair for little son.

He kindly modelled mine for me this morning before school. The Sirdar Crofter yarn knits up in a random 'fairisle' style pattern - hence they don't quite match and I rather like that.

In return I went and bought the yarn for his - I asked what colour he wanted thinking he might say a sensible colour but then this is little son we're talking about - his request was bright orange - do you think this is bright enough??

Right time to go back into the warmth of the kitchen - I need to make some cookies for the boys for after school. Big son has had 2 mock GCSE exams today so I think he needs spoiling.

See you soon

xxx Vicki xxx

BTW - thank you for all the comments on my header - its definately one of my favourite pics of 2010 :)



My babies were up to their waists in snow!!!

Evening

Oh yes that white stuff has been falling here today - not enough to close the boys schools - though their little cousins in the primary school did get a snow day today.

Since lunchtime its been coming down more & more and now we've about 3 inches of the stuff and the sky is laden with more for later.

The school websites are being checked and they are hopeful for a day off tomorrow.

Anyhow - my snowy babies;

I won these little lads & lasses on Tuesday night in a draw!! Very tasty they are too - the big question - heads or feet first????

I braved the back garden this afternoon - mainly to feed my feathered friends and to rescue my radio from the now abandoned till springtime summer house!!

I hid in the summerhouse for a while hoping to get some pics of all the feathered visitors - they seemed to sense I was about and after a cold ten minutes I gave up and came indoors again.

Almost as soon as I was indoors a flock of seagulls (no not the 80's band) came and devoured the bread crusts I'd put out. Then the robin came and raided the feeders - just wish I could get a photo of him - he'd make a lovely christmas card picture.

Just before the boys arrived home it started snowing heavily so of course I had to take a picture;

Please keep your fingers crossed that they get the day off tomorrow - as even at almost 15 & 13 they are no too old for snowball fights, making snow angels and building a snowman or 2 ;)

Keep warm and snuggle under lots of blankets & quilts.

Till next time

xxx Vicki xxx

Their snow dance worked - school is cancelled tomorrow - hurrah :)