14th December: A Snowy Day

1. Thoughtfulness from Clem's headteacher getting in touch to say that her safety comes first and, if the roads were bad, she shouldn't go in today.

2. Orlando and Jess chasing each other in the snow. It is amazing to see how well they are getting on these days!

3. A proper snowfall! All our snow before today was freezing almost straight away so it was nice to have some crunchy snow today!

4. Doing more feedback for Globe Soup stories. I have really enjoyed reading so many great stories.

5. Getting some lovely feedback from other Globe Soup authors. Positive and constructive feedback always gives you a warm, fuzzy feeling!

6. Using the sledge to bring the post in! It was so much fun, if a little exhausting! (The post was four massive boxes of compost)

7. Making the Christmas biscuits - we made treacle biscuits and gingerbread, with an eye to decorating them tomorrow. 

8. The way that we became encircled by snow clouds at one point. Above us was a patch of pale blue while all around was brown.

9. Catching up with the advent candle in the living room! We hadn't lit it for a couple of days.

10. Clemency received the rose she had ordered from David Austin. I'm guessing it was an impulse buy because she couldn't actually remember what it was!

11. Going outside in the dark to admire the snow. It was starting to thaw a little by this point but it was still catching the light beautifully. 

12. A picture update on our latest niece and her wonderful big sister enjoying another snow day at home.

13. Mum and Dad working together to get their Christmas cards written. It is lovely to send messages to loved ones far and near at Christmas.

14. A hysterical moment while we were making the biscuits, when we mistakenly believed we had been very severely short-changed with our butter. Cue a hilarious video where we attempted to shame the retailer... but realised midway through that it was our mistake!

Day Fourteen: Readying the House for Christmas

Picture One:

The garage to sort...

Picture Two:

...And all neatly packed with boxes!

Picture Three:

Our Yule Log drying merrily for Christmas Eve

Picture Four:

The greenery on display in the window of the porch

Picture Five:

No, that's a dustpan handle, not the tree trunk!

The conservatory is shaping up well.

Picture Six:

The main tree in the bay window

Picture Seven:

The horseshoe catching good luck on the doorstep

Picture Eight:

Christmas is certainly coming!

Picture Nine:

The mantle shelf in the Drawing Room is coming to life with greenery and Christmas cards

Picture Ten:

A wax tree decoration made by our Franconian friends.

Picture Eleven:

No tree lights, but a bouquet of greenery and a host of reflected lights.

Picture Twelve:

We're still dreaming of a white Christmas,

and imagining the Burn of Baillie looking just like this!

Picture Thirteen:

But our bridge is not quite as picturesque as this!

Picture Fourteen:

Dad...

No other words!

#300GoodDeeds - Day Eleven - #MondayMotivation

For the first of our good deeds, we're going right back to the start of the day: the wee, small hours! V stayed up late finishing off my Secret Santa gift. Yesterday was a bit of a disaster from my point of view, so everything that I had planned just went (what we call) A over T. V finishing off the Secret Santa gift was an absolute Godsend, I can tell you!

We took in another parcel for our neighbours today - this time it was slightly more rewarding though as both neighbours were extremely grateful! It's a fair old trek down to the Sorting Office, so every little helps when it comes to taking in parcels! 

Paws for thought...

Just in case you hadn't realised yet that our lives are run by a small(ish) brown and white furry thing, today Orlando was exhibiting symptoms of FlopBot (if you haven't seen All Creatures Great and Small then you might have to look it up!) so we booked him an appointment at the V.E.T.s. He is now fully squeezed and back to his usual jolly self.

Upon arriving back from the aforementioned V.E.T.s, V confirmed that a pupil shouldn't come to his lesson today as he has mobility issues and therefore would have been at risk of falling on his way to his lesson. And, speaking of ice, I made a safe path for Mum and Dad to use the bins in the backyard (which was resembling an ice rink!), as well as clearing some of the path at the front of the house.

The journey to work today was absolutely beautiful - through snow-covered landscapes, with views of magnificent Red Deer and birds, hurrying to find what food they could in what had become quite a barren landscape! First of all though, I had to get to the train station. Dad was going to take me, but his sister called just before we were about to set off and he quite rightly wanted to talk with her. V got up and gave me a lift - absolutely seamlessly.

A frozen landscape

When I arrived at the train, I discovered that it was a conductor who is still training, and I took the opportunity to find out how he was enjoying it and, I hope, offer some words of encouragement. He has been working for Scotrail for some time as a Hospitality Assistant (not sure of the correct job title!) and will be an absolutely excellent conductor. All the folks on the Far North line are lovely :)

When I arrived at work, I was quite late as the first train hadn't been running. I mucked in as best as I could, and even set a great  example by being one of the first ones to start with the washing up after Christmas Lunch. I will also take this opportunity to say how much I appreciated #GoodDeeds from various colleagues who were looking out for me in my semi-blinded state!!

This evening, I got back home absolutely shattered, so it was great to find that C had gone out on her own and walked Orlando. It must have been a bit nerve-wracking for her as the paths are treacherous out there at the moment, so I was especially grateful of this good deed! Afterwards, we both wrapped presents for C's pupils - it was a lot of fun (although I'm sure #GoodDeeds should be fun!) and great to imagine the kiddies opening them on Christmas Day!

This evening I visited Twitter to find out if there was anyone who needed a few words and a virtual hug sent their way, and found someone whose tweet made me feel very sad for them. I hope my reply "from a Stranger in the Far North" was of some help to them - I love how these #300GoodDeeds are encouraging us to reach out to people we will never know, in a way that they will hopefully find comforting.

  - J. x

#300GoodDeeds - Day Eight - A Snow Day!

Today was a Snow Day: all the schools in town were closed, and everything had a lovely white, Christmassy look about it! We commented to each other that people always look happier in the snow, probably because they either love snow or it makes them feel a bit hysterical! Children love Snow Days - where school is closed and they don't have to suffer through lessons (!), but I think teachers love them more!

Anyway, I'll stop pondering on snow things now, and share our eight good deeds for the 8th December:

1. Getting Mum and Dad away on their Culture Trip. This might sound easy but, trust me, it wasn't! We managed to get them to the Railway Station this morning by driving slowly along un-gritted roads, only to find that the Road Replacement vehicle couldn't run, because the road had been closed at Helmsdale! Cue waiting for the bus for forty-five minutes (it was late) only to be told they couldn't get on without having pre-booked. SIGH. We dashed home, booked them on the next bus and, three hours after our first Public Transport Failure they were heading down to enjoy a Christmassy weekend in Inverness.

   

   The minibus (Road Replacement transport) that couldn't run.

2. Snow Days are tricky for drivers, so one of our good deeds was stopping to let someone get onto the road - it's nice to think that we played a small part in getting them to where they needed to be!
3. We dashed into the Co-Op for some fish fingers (fish finger sandwiches are a MUST when the parents are away) and, on the way out, an old lady dropped a potato from her trolley and we hurried over to help her.
4. Also at the Co-Op, we entered a raffle raising funds for a local community organisation. Community is always important and, at this time of year, there are plenty of opportunities to get involved or provide support.
5. Orlando missed a walk yesterday because it would have been dangerous for him and us to have been out in the high winds. But that did mean that he needed two decent walks today. We each have to walk him once, but an opportunity for a good deed arose when one of us headed off for a second walk so that no one had to walk him on their own.

   

   Orlando loves the snow!

6. Everyone's buying Christmas gifts now, and there are parcels coming thick and fast! Today we took in a parcel for our next-door-but-one neighbours so that they wouldn't have to head out to the Royal Mail office to collect it.
7. Every year we send out a photograph of our family for friends and family in their Christmas Cards, giving them the opportunity to see what we've been up to in the year. Today we headed down to get them printed, which was a nice surprise to tell Mum when she called to say that they had reached Inverness safely.
8. Takeaways are another MUST for when the parents are away (see No.3) and this evening it was a pizza from the fabulous local pizzeria. Always nice to support local businesses (see also No.7!!) but also to give a nice tip to say thanks. Tips are quite divisive with some people, but it's just a way of saying Thank You and it's always nice to give people a helping hand at this time of the year.

  - J. x