I’ve been absent from my blog for a bit so it’s high time I caught up a bit. It’s been a busy and hectic time and I sometime feel like I’m going to meet myself coming back. So I thought I’d have a bit of a catch up.
We had a long break over Christmas and New Year. Yes, I know it sounds like ages ago now. We left snow here in Lancaster, real snow and although it didn’t stay long I do find snow rather exciting, especially when it falls with what looks like a sense of urgency.
I love the view of the church from our back door. It’s a very active church so we can often hear the organ and singing from the church. Whilst taking this picture there was a particularly energetic rendition of ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing’ underway. We will be moving house soon so I’m beginning to really notice the things I’ll miss about this house.
As we headed down to Italy we encountered more snow. These pictures were taken at the last service station before the San Gottardo tunnel:
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The dogs went a little mad in the snow and Wilbur, with his long legs and high centre of gravity slipped about rather a lot, much to our amusement. I’m also not sure what he thinks about the cold snow settling on his nose.
Spider however, looks pretty ‘cool’ when the snow settles on his fur:
When we got to Italy it was bright and sunny and unseasonably warm. Perfect for lots of walks and amazing sunsets. This is one sunset against the Siena skyline taken as we walked back home one evening:
My first Tomten Jacket, knitted years ago, also finally found a recipient. It had been intended for Noah’s older brother, Ewan, but had come up a bit small and so I’d made him another. Now Noah has come along this one fits him just fine. Here we are in sunny Siena with Noah and his cars whilst Ewan, Anna and Bea are at Athletics. I sat in the sun knitting my Gay Bolero – soon to be finished – honest.
Despite the warmth, Siena was very seasonal and we had great fun going into town, ice skating and generally just hanging out with family. I did particularly like this seasonal tableau in the window at the Consorzio:
As we headed home, the weather changed rather drastically. Half an hour before the picture below was taken we had sat at picnic tables and had lunch in the sun, just north of Lake Lugano, with no need to wear a jacket. Then as we headed north we encountered rain turning to sleet and snow.
Following this came whipping winds across Lake Lucerne and thunder and lighting. After my accident, the journey was a bit like an intense period of aversion therapy as I began to rebuild my confidence in driving in different conditions. It’s not back altogether, but I did remember to keep breathing rather than holding my breath when it got a bit scary.