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Let it snow!

This week, the whole country came to a crashing (quite literally in many cases) halt as 'The Beast from the East' met 'Storm Emma' and we were all subjected to artic temperatures and massive dumps of snow. Having looked like Spring was on its way, the official first day of Spring was met with inches of snow across the country and we all got very excited. Schools shut everywhere, the news was wall to wall snow stories and people got stuck anywhere and everywhere. The kids were gutted that Thorngrove opened as normal on Thursday, but even they had to admit defeat with no gas to cook with and only half the teachers and pupils making it in so Friday was officially declared a snow day - hooray!

Of course for me that just meant doing all my meetings as calls but I did have a giggle as I watched Glenn dragging the girls around the garden on a sledge tied to the back of one of their motorbikes, and both dogs going mad in the snow, loving the feel of it. The roads were actually quite bad for most of Thursday and Friday but we didn't get as much as Somerset where Mum and Dad's dogs refused to go out (probably confused as to how to pee in 9 inches of snow!), and Amanda's horse turned into a full blown hackney, trotting around with knees in the air not knowing what to make of it!

Despite all these fun and games, it's quickly turned to slush with the onset of warmer air and rain and we have gone from extreme snow warnings to extreme flood warnings. Got to love the UK's inability to cope well with anything other than 'somewhere in the middle' temperatures.

For the rest of the weekend we have been slightly restricted as we waited for the snow to go completely and so it's been a slow few days. Abi took it upon herself therefore to use the time to brow beat me with the 100 reasons why she should be allowed a horse - NOW! This has been a steady and quite wearing theme of "if you were home more then I could have a horse on loan / of my own / to ride..." I have pointed out on numerous occasions that I'm not out enjoying myself Monday to Friday but who wants to listen to that? Glenn does a good job of reinforcing the fact that I'm actually working, but we are up against the weight of pre-teen biology - no 11 year old is capable it seems of thinking beyond their own needs. I feel the 'me, me, me' very acutely sometimes. When I get fed up and grumpy about it, I then get "you're so grumpy..." argghhhhh! Yesterday was a classic example of me ringing home after my yoga lesson to say I was popping round to Zsara's on the way back for a quick coffee. Abi's response was that I had to come home becuase I'd been out for "AGES" and Daddy might want to go out!!!! Deep breath - luckily I'd spent the last hour and half practicing my deep breathing!

Izzy is determined while this is going on to tell me she loves me which at least is something. I'm sure time will change that as well - hopefully not though. I need something to hold on to.

Today we started to get proper cabin fever so I suggested we pop to Go Outdoors to get some snow boots - the only thing left on the list for skiing. Ha ha ha - what was I thinking of?  2 weeks ago when I said "there's no rush, we don't need to get the boots immediately", we weren't expecting Snowmageddon. We went to Go Outdoors to find absolutely no boots at all, then to Decathlon to find the same. Finally when we had almost given up we found a lonely pair sitting in an aisle that looked like it had been ram raided which fitted Izzy - result! Note to self - don't leave it to chance next time!

At least the snow has helped the kids to see that there is a lot of fun to be had in cold weather and they are now (begrudgingly) admitting that (maybe) they are (sort of) looking forward to the ski trip. How did I manage to get such holiday-shy kids?!? Only 3 weeks to go - at least I'm looking forward to it!




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