On 17th December, we had a heavy snowfall in North Devon. This is such a rare occurrance as the sea breezes normally keep us relatively frost free, but the northerly wind brought a bitterly cold snap. We were unable to get the car moving due to the depth of the snow, so I had to get to the shop the old fashioned way, walking boots and a rucksack to carry the provisions home.
We live on the second highest hill in North Devon so the walk to the shop was a gentle stroll of 2 miles, but the walk back was energy sapping, especially when your footing isn't too secure. I carried the essentials home, and as I was doing DIY at the time, the weight on my back was heavy - 40lb at one point. I felt like a squaddie yomping across the Falklands!
Anyway, we managed to get through, even though the gritters and snowploughs in the area don't have four-wheel drive and so couldn't get up the hill to us. Our neighbour, Phil, did give me a lift in his Discovery one day to collect all the Christmas essentials such as wine, and the turkey, which just wouldn't get into my sack.
With Phil prepared and on standby, our eldest daughter Anna and Dan, her partner, decided to spend Christmas with us and managed to get through to us just as light fell on Christmas Eve, so our Christmas plans had survived. We simply shut the door and had a quiet, really nice family break. The only interruption was for a Boxing Day walk and the snowball fight which we couldn't miss out on.
On the 27th, we got our car off the drive and travelled the two miles to Torrington to restock our shelves, and even managed to return, with extreme care. Four wheel drive vehicles make it look easy, but regular saloon cars were still struggling for traction and sliding across the road.
The snow had cleared enough by 29th December for us to pick up younger daughter Jenny and fly to Edinburgh to stay with Lee for the new year festivities. We visited all the regular tourist attractions, the Castle, the underground city, Britannia etc as well as watching the spectacular fireworks at the stroke of 12 on New Year's Eve.
There was a funfair, and Jenny dragged a nervous Lee onto the reverse bungee jump, which fired them into the air in a capsule. I don't think Lee will do that again in a hurry. Then Jenny persuaded Sandy to accompany her on the ghost train which was to give us the best laugh of the trip. At one point the carriage stopped and a ghostly head appeared right in Sandy's face. In a reflex action, she responded by punching it several times, the only problem being it was a man in a mask. She didn't realise until he took it off. She was so apologetic and embarrassed, much to the delight of everyone else!! That, coupled with her screams gave us the best laugh we have had in ages.
We had a great time over the two weeks, which was helped by the snow and the atmosphere it created, but all things must come to an end, and it's back to work now.