Family lunch and table tennis.

Today our younger son Ben, his wife Claire and children Thomas and Sophie called on their way back from a few days in Devon. Jenny made a lovely chicken lunch and we had a happy time talking, laughing and making plans for future trips away together. We put the table up in the garage and played table-tennis, the first time Sophie has ever had a bat in her hands. But we had to stop playing when our only ball went under the trailer and we could not get it out - we must buy some more!The photos show Sophie (being helped by her Daddy) and Thomas, who needs no help.

Pippin Cottage Memories

Two weeks ago we received a letter out of the blue from a lady who used to live in Pippin Cottage 40 years ago. She asked did we want some old papers that she had for the house and could we send her a photograph of it. Yesterday we collected her and brought her round for afternoon tea. She and her husband lived here for eight years and she could remember all the details of the old parts of the house, before it was extended. When they first came here (1969) one of the windows was still bricked up from the days when Window Tax was payable in England (1696 to 1851) and her husband opened it up again. They installed the first upstairs bathroom and built the first garage here. She was a nurse who later trained as a hypnotist and she treated her hypnotherapy patients in one of the rooms of the house. She told us lots of interesting stories and had us laughing all afternoon - we had a lovely day.

Snow

This last week we have had more snow than we have seen for about 20 years - several snowfalls which have not melted yet. Our minor roads have been icy all week so most of the evening activities which we enjoy have been cancelled. When you have eight successive nights at home you learn how little there is worth watching on television! But the snow has been beautiful to look at and its been lovely to hear the children whooping with joy as they zoom down the hills on their sledges - many schools have been closed on different days throughout the week. Roads and railway lines have been out of action too - how lucky we are not to have to struggle to work. The Village Shop has been a boon - but even there the shelves are beginning to look empty as supplies are unable to get through. And more snow is forecast ............