The garden's looking even whiter this morning and the snow's still coming down! The good news is that after a very late night I did manage to sleep in my own bed after a wonderful night at the top of the Gherkin (more about that later). Walking through snow does mean that you use a whole different set of leg muscles to normal and boy am I feeling that today! It's stil that lovely wet snow that clings to everything at the moment so everywhere's looking very picturesque. Not sure how much longer some of the branches will be able to take the weight though. Our new little ... read more
A cold snap
There's no doubt about it, it's pretty damn cold out there right now. This is how the garden looked yesterday morning as the sun came up. It didn't look much different by the time the sun went down yesterday afternoon! A couple of bit of grass had ben in the sun and therefore returned to green, but come this morning and all is white again.We've not yet had more snow here, but I understand that this is highly likely to change in the next 24 hours. In fact, most of the country is likely to be white over by tomorrow morning. Even London is likely to be covered. Of course this has ... read more
The House at Riverton – Kate Morton
It's been a while since I blogged about the books I've been reading so there's a bit of catching up to do. My most recent read has been The House at Riverton by Kate Morton and I have to say that it's been a long time since I enjoyed a novel this much! Grace Bradley arrived at Riverton in 1914 as a 14 year old ready to take on her first role as a house-maid. What she didn't expect at the time was how much Riverton would become part of her life and also change it in a way that she could not forget. The book flips between Grace's time at Riverton and ... read more
An exciting year ahead
Take a look at the above photograph of my bedside cabinet. Notice anything strange about my bedtime reading? or more accurately where the books themselves are? This wonderful invisible bookshelf was a Christmas gift from the lovely Mr C. Pure genius and keeps me safe from the danger of a perilously high to-read pile right next to my head, which is how things have previously ended up!It felt slightly strange last night to welcome in the new year with only a half glass of champagne. I'm not one for going out and painting the town red, especially on New Year's Eve when everywhere is ... read more
Turning my attentions to outdoors
Now that the rain seems to have (temporarily) stopped I've started turning my attentions to the garden. There's lots that we need to do out there, and lots more that Mr C and I want to do if time and energy allows. Top of my list has to be starting off my veg plot. After a really positive start things have slowed right down - I blame some guidance about not doing anything too strenuous whilst pregnant. The reality is that if I don't make a start before C Minor arrives I'll have no real chance. The aim is to get some raised beds on the identified plot and we've even ... read more
End of the festive season and new beginnings
Our first real Chez C Christmas Tree As this year's festive season draws to a close things feel a little different to how they have done in previous years. Normally at this time there is the anti-climax of New Year's Eve to get through and then the dreaded return to work in January. This year it's all a little different. I resigned from my job at the end of September and today is my first day unemployed. A scary prospect for sure. I had planned to have another job lined up for the new year, but things don't also work out as you first plan them. Instead there is a new ... read more
Full days
It's very strange, but only a few days after finishing work I'm already starting to wonder how I ever managed to find time to actually go to work! Somehow I've got to change that before it becomes too simple to just stay at home and not find an alternative income stream. After several days snowed in at home (not completely, but with deep enough snow outside that going out became a hassle) I've found myself filling my days with lots of little things that I want and need to get done and yet things like the pile of paperwork on my desk remain untouched.I'm pleased to report ... read more
Final Christmas preparations in the home
It's been a busy Saturday with lots of things on the pre-CHristmas to do list ticked off. All the shopping is now complete, although a fair amount more time is required with the wrapping paper and sellotape before all that is complete. There are a few handmade gifts that are not quite finished yet though. I'm not panicking yet though as there should still be plenty of time to ensure that they're all done in plenty of time - remind me of that late next Thursday though! With freezing temperatures, yesterday's snow still lying deep outside, and more forecast our attentions ... read more
Snow in St Albans
At least 5 inches of snow overnight. Looking doubtful that I'll make it to London for my last day at work! ... read more
Countdown to Christmas
Only four more working days to go and then the level of blogging really should increase - or more accurately, the point at which I no longer have a valid excuse for a lack of posts.Along with finishing work there is the obvious count down to Christmas going on as well. The tree is up, the wreath is on the front door and I've even started writing cards. Shame that I'm not so organised on the present front. To make up for not seeing friends for far too long Mr C and I did have a bit of a festive gathering at the weekend though. My baking efforts went into overdrive with ... read more