Monday 11th January

IMPORTANT ....... SOS ....... Snow shovel required from Canadian Tire!! Colour unimportant.

It is several days since my last confession .. oops, I mean posting!  What have I been up to?  Well, in a word (or 2) ... not alot.  The snow is still thick and has increased daily, the fieldfares are still visiting, my knees/feet still hate walking in the snow, the sun still sets, I still don't like milk puddings, snow still looks very pretty, etc.  Actually it has to be said that this continued covering of the dreaded white stuff is playing with my mind.  Selfishly I wish it would go so that I can get back to my walking.  The school children are more than happy for it to stay though, as thay have had "snow days" from school ... due to either lack of staff or lack of pupils or lack of heating.

Having said that, there are various snow/ice themed headlines to share...

1. Emergency call put into the police because the residents of a cul-de-sac had been blocked in overnight by the precise placement of a giant snowball that was too large and heavy to be removed!
2. Curling tournament cancelled because of the ice!
   
3. Housing crisis solved by appearance of igloos across the town!
4. Traffic held up as teenage boy attempts to roll/push/shove/drag 3 giant snowballs across the road to his garden (too slow with the camera ... shame)
   

Lots of emails have landed in my in box, in response to my blog writing .... so thank you all! Great to know that all is well on t'other side of the ocean.  And I have been having lots of friend time here ... Sara, Janet, Margaret, Jean .... always someone to drink tea and chat with or play music with or go settee shopping with.  No luck with finding the "right" seating yet ... but the hunt is interesting.

Had the chance to go hiking on the moors today, but with all the fresh snow we have had, I thought it would be too heavy going for me.  Such a lightweight these days.  I understand I made the right decision - lots of deep snow, a steep hill, ice and finishing in the dark!  So instead it was an ideal day to catch up on some movies.  Last week I watched Closer, which, had I known the content and theme, I might have given a miss.  I could certainly have written the script - far too close to real life for comfort!  Infidelity - it is everywhere.  The Mexican was fun and light hearted with gorgeous Brad playing a bumbling fool.  Not so light was Touching the Void.  I don't really go in for rewatching movies, but this true story is such an inspiration ..... it was worth it.  Got my heart going, even though I knew the ending.  I still don't know how he could have possibly survived, other than that his determination and will were beyond questioning.

Technical question?  Is there anyone out there who has knowledge of the workings of Skype?  I had Skype set up on my laptop when I was living in Edmonton, with a shaw email account.  I have now changed that email to my gmail account and also altered my "place" to reflect the fact that I am now living in the UK.  However when someone searched for me, the profile they read says Clare of Alberta and I am shown as off-line even though, at that moment, I was definitely on-line. Any answers or advice?  Please?  Pretty please?

Oh and just in case there is anyone worried about my nourishment, let me reassure you that cooking seems to have taken a turn for the better.  Tonight I treated a friend to Moroccan Chicken, served with couscous .... a hint of spices without excessive heat.  Mmmmmmm.  A trusted favourite!  Here is a previous chicken casserole with my favourite brussel sprouts .... extremely scrummy but an overload of potatoes (most were not eaten!!)  Linda - what would you like when you come?

"Time for bed" said Zebedee.