Singdean in the snow

1. We wake up in a Christmas card. There are inches of snow on the ground all the distant trees dusted white. Lily joins me, wide eyed at the door.

1b. To draw back the curtain and see the feast laid out for us.

1c. We marvel at the busy stream and walk through the dense pine wood. The ground gives underfoot and everything is muffled. In a tiny clearing – just the space of a single missing tree –  snow flakes drift to the ground. I’ve run out of words to describe how beautiful everything is here.

2. Winding roads, green hills and all sorts of things glowing in the sunshine.

2b. Sure, there might be a castle and the ruins of am abbey but the best thing about Jedburgh as far as I’m concerned: cones of fine yarn for just £1 each at a charity shop. I buy some neutrals and a soft red but my favourite is a silky chenille in the most wonderful shade of turquoise.

2c. The journey is so much fun that we extend it, ending up in Hawick. John suddenly pulls over into a parking spot. It’s immediately in front of two charity shops. He knows me too well. I buy a new dress and a top, and two books and a shirt for him. A good haul.

2d. Back ‘home’, I walk Lily down the field so that she can have a wee. She rolls in the snow and each time she looks up her face is covered in white.

3. Feeling the hot air in my sinuses, my lungs. Lying back, it drapes over me.

3b. The cloud keeps breaking just enough for us to see the stars but the moon is too bright for it to be amazing. I’m almost glad when the clouds thicken and we can just relax.