Snow Joke and Gratitude

Hello folks how's it going with you this week?  Sorry about the slowness to post.  I'm back now after short respite.  


Wowza.  Britain experiencing the EARLIEST WINTER snowfall for 17 years.   That'll be in autumn then, chortles;)


Lots to write about but let's go for a story in pictures eh? 


Leaving Durham City (my driver had a two hour tailback on the motorway to get to me, a twenty minute journey normally) firstly negotiating the icy carpark........Yikes........no sign of gritting activity here

Passing shot of Durham Cathedral under glowering skies...........

City streets deserted as the nearby motorway groans under thousands of vehicles going nowhere. The traffic jam extends north, past the angel of the north and the Metrocentre and into Newcastle).  Looks like the gritting lorry got through here ok though.

And Durham Castle, part of the University and steeped in tradition

Both sit on an 'island' promentary surrounded by the River Wear, part of 'The Land of the Prince Bishops', county Durham's tag-line to attract the tourists land of the prince bishops

Dormant life under snowy blanket

Redwing or Fieldfare?  

Back home and greeted by sweet cyclamens under their fluffy duvets

Err, who left the bikes out? going nowhere-else for some time I shouldn't think.....

  

Cold-snap here for awhile apparently

And this was just the first snow-shower, gulp:( Pretty though

So there you are, travel today only if ABSOLUTELY necessary.  Well it was......

There's no place like home.  And hospital isn't it.  Although my visit to short-stay surgery did give me the opportunity to write lists, LOTS OF LISTS.

Six and a half hours sitting in dressing-gown and slippers in a draughty waiting room gives time for plenty of planning!  I managed to detail at least fifty thrifty must-do's concerning lamps, planters, wall-hangings, window-dressings, mobiles (the hanging-from-the-ceiling variety not the where-did-I-put-it-this-time or the forgot-to-charge-the-bl****-thing-again variety) all doable whilst lounging about on enforced no-lifting-carrying shopping bags, laundry or cooking FOR THREE MONTHS type rest. The key theme is 'Be thrifty, use what you have' to make new house beautiful.  Easy.  Have been hoarding REALLY USEFUL stuff for years.    


And after surgery a sleepless night, usefully occupied by drafting  proposal for future research and writing-to-earn-money

Here's hoping.

And if you'll indulge me, I'm dedicating today's blog posting to all the nursing and surgical teams working their magic to put me right.  With extraspecial thanks to an amazingly dedicated night nurse M and a wonderful post-op recovery nurse S (sadly we learned this morning S slipped on ice trying to get to work and has broken her arm) get well soon darling and thanks for your skilled and loving care :)


Bye for now, stay safe
pamela x