Frosty December morning

A Nice wintry scene Sheila , we bought a tree for each of our grandchildren ,I liked the idea , Chiara will be asking which is her tree when she's older ..

Thanks Amy. Yes, it was son Mike's good idea - so I've just sent this pic to Oz! Isn't email wonderful . . .

Lovely pic. I love crisp, sunny winter days!

Thanks Paul :)

I agree with Paul. They say it is going to get milder, wetter, windier....well, I'd prefer it to say 'crunchy'! Lovely photo Sheila!

Absolutely Karen . . . and thank you! (yes, it would be lovely to have 'crunchy' in a weather forecast!)

Lovely pic Sheila - Im sure that Chiara will be pleased to see her 'frost tree' :)

Thanks Scottish . . . maybe one day Chiara will be pleased, but for now only her Ma and Pa will be smiling at the photo as she's only 20 months :))

Beautiful pic. Sheila and that Prunus is growing well there, have you got the family with you this Christmas?

No Gill - they had a horrendous 22 hour flight last Christmas . . . we'll be going over to see them in the Spring. Just our younger son with us this year: quite relaxing really :))

Good for you Sheila, enjoy the peace and quiet! :)

Beautiful, Sheila, but Bbrrrrrrr! Particularly like the sunshine in it.

Thank you Gattina! Brrrrrr indeed . . . all this week the temps have been -1 up to a brisk 4, but lovely clear skies too. Much better than rain and fog :))

We had snow again overnight, and everything looks so pretty, but underneath, there's really dangerous ice on pavements and roads. Luckily, we have a forecast for rising temperatures, so we might, if we're lucky, make it up past 0°! There's a possibility still of a white Christmas, which would be pretty, but we'd rather have rain and 5° so Daughter, driving up the mountain, will have a safer journey when she comes to stay. Staying inside today to cook and put up more decorations. Best place to be!

Yes, inside looks the best place to be here too . . . even housework has more appeal than going out as it is now misty and wet (mucky). But at least our temps have gone up to 8(ish). Agree about the roads: how long is your daughter's journey? Steve's to us is 5 1/2 hours - he was once two days late because of the ice and snow on the roads. This year he's only got three days here, so if it's bad we won't see him . . . fingers crossed for both of them! x

Oh Lor! 5 1/2 hours! That is some journey in bad conditions, Sheila. D. is only 60 kilometres away in the middle of Bologna, but bad weather makes it a tricky journey, since it's mostly on narrow, winding, very steep mountain roads, and her little car is designed for city driving. Last year, it started to snow at lunchtime on Christmas Eve, just as she was leaving home, and she arrived at our house some time later, white and shaking, having expected almost at every junction to meet another driver and not be able to stop in time, or to slide off the side of the road and fall 150' down a rocky precipice to the valley below. She has snow tyres fitted on the car, but they are useless on ice, and she isn't used to driving on these roads in winter. She 'phoned this afternoon to say she wasn't enthusiastic about the prospect. I do hope Steve manages the trip safely and you get to see him. As you say - fingers crossed for them both.

Thanks Gat. There are plenty of people in the UK who are "not used to driving . . in winter" - we still see loads of idiots without lights . . . grrrrrr!!

I wish your daughter luck and courage, but steep and narrow is not fun for most of us, even without snow. x

Italian drivers (well, perhaps not all of them) seem not to notice it and drive as "normal" - i.e. fast and in the middle of the road......

Beautiful Sheila, love the frosted grasses!

Thanks Janey. Today the trees are even more beautiful . . . every twig with a light covering of snow!

So you aren't too cut off by the snow then? We've been listening to branches snapping today as ice and snow-laden branches got blown around. We've been getting power cuts sporadically, so it probably means the power lines are snapping, too. The town hall's snow ploughs have been out regularly, though, so the roads, if not exactly safe, are passable. Roll on Spring!

Thanks Gattina . . . no, not cut off at all. Apart from our own slippery lane, the roads all around are completely clear. Just have to scrape the ice of the car windows, and walk Very Carefully!

I do hope your electrics won't get cut off altogether, but it's good to know you've got logs . . .

We are fairly well prepared - this tends to happen every winter as soon as we get snow. It's never lasted more than 48 hours, and is more of a darned nuisance than a real problem. It's when the power keeps flickering on and off and you have to keep resetting the clocks and answerphone and television timed recorder and the thermostat, and remembering not to open the freezer more than necessary, and to boil all the water for washing and dishes. We get a lot of sleeping and reading (during daylight) done. Too cold to go out walking or getting exercise, and even housework tends to pall after an hour or two. :o)