Snow!

The view from my bedroom window at 7.30am this morning.  I love how the red post box stands out!  It was only a 'dusting of snow'  but everything had obviously frozen hard before the snow fell.  It took a long time for my car to defrost and become driveable..  The camera sensors and radar 'thingy' (it brakes for you if the car in front brakes suddenly) weren't working and all the warning lights on my dashboard were on!  The main roads were fine so I took the long way round to school.  Honestly, if I'd just put my boots on and walked to work it would have taken less time!!!!

Snow, elderberries and a wedding invite

It's been a very quick week again.  Snow and ice have hit us but we're well prepared for it in Scotland. The chickens have been enjoying their morning porridge! I did laugh when one of my FB friends down south posted pictures of their snow 'chaos' and someone commented that it was equivalent to a hard frost here!! 😂  I guess if you're not used to harsh weather it can seem dramatic.  I love when the Canadians post their snow pictures!!  They really know how to handle snow!

Once again I've picked up a nasty cold virus *sighs*  It's a running joke at work that I have a permanent cold.  I work really hard at staying healthy so should probably get myself a checkup at the doctor.  If I phone soon I might get an appointment by Easter!!! (seriously, it's impossible to get a GP appointment at my surgery when you're actually ill)  I bought some dried elderberries and will try to drink some elderberry tea every day.  I'm also going to make some elderberry syrup to keep handy too.  Hopefully their immune boosting properties will work on my recurring colds!

I did need some medical attention this week at the Minor Injuries unit this week with a scratch on my eye.  And yep, it's as painful as it sounds.  No idea how I did it other than there must have been something in my eye and I kept rubbing it.  I went there at 9am and was seen by 9.20.  It took a lot of red and then orange dye to find the scratch.  They were very thorough.  Antibiotic drops were prescribed and I was back at work by 10am.  Parts of the NHS do work well.  My eye has slowly improved and today is the last day of using the drops.

And then I got some lovely news.  We received a wedding invitation from old friends that I haven't seen for ages.  I knew them both before they were a couple.  They've been together for 10 years (engaged for 8!) and are finally getting married in June.  My ex husband will be there along with lots of folk I haven't seen for 9 years. Could be interesting!! 😉

Freedom!

I finally got my car out after 5 days!  I was getting a bit stir crazy 😜 I tried to get out yesterday but after an hour of shoveling snow, it started to snow heavily again so I gave up.  OH finally got back from Italy this morning (2 days late!!) and helped me do the last bit out to the road.  The main roads are driveable but the gritter lorries just push the snow to the sides of the road in huge piles.  This makes the roads very narrow.  But at least they're clear.

Every morning I've dug out a path to the coop so Penny can come out if she wants.  She's got food and water inside and outside.  I scatter some feed over the ground so she can forage a bit and she gets warm porridge too. She seems happy enough as she gives me an egg almost daily in return.

Meals have been interesting this week!  I was running down my fridge freezer so I could clean it and restock it.  I had no meat or fish left.  Just loads of veggies. This was a veggie lentil chilli mixed with rice and chopped spinach with some wholegrain mustard.  Doesn't photograph well but it was delicious!

This was Punjabi spiced roast cauliflower (Madhur Jaffray recipe) with spinach rice and toasted cashews.  Also very delicious.  It would have been lovely with some raita or mango chutney but I didn't have either.  It really was a use it up meal!

I did manage to get to Sainsbury's today but the car park was a disaster with huge piles of snow everywhere and inconsiderate parking (mainly by 4x4 drivers).  I drove round it (very carefully!!) for 20 mins then gave up.  I tried the small Lidl near me and it was the same story.  So I came home, put my walking gear on and walked back to Lidl.  I managed to get some chicken, cod and salmon (their pricing for local Scottish produce is really good!) and some fresh fruit and vegetables to keep me going for a few days.  There were lots of empty shelves, some things I wouldn't be buying anyway.  Hopefully the next time I go they'll be full up again.

Hope you're safe and warm wherever you are!!

More snow!

Emma was a bit excited to see so much snow this morning!  In this pic I've actually caught her mid bound above the snow as it's up to her stomach when she stands still.

It took her ages to find a spot to pee! 😆 

 Just an hour later we had yet another whiteout

4x4 cars are the only vehicles I've seen on my hilly road

This is the passageway from my door to the gate.  It's more than 30cm deep.  Luckily it's soft and easy to scoop with my big snow shovel.  The Red Alert warning has now been downgraded to Amber, which is still serious but the worst seems to be over for us.  No idea if school will reopen tomorrow.  We are a digital school so have been doing some remote teaching and learning this morning.  Although only 2 of my pupils have been doing the tasks I've set my class.  Ah well.

Snow Days!

Like much of Britain we've got snowy weather.  Most schools in Scotland were closed today and tomorrow, including mine! 😎  See that wee red bit?  That's where I live!  Public transport was cancelled at lunchtime.  Businesses were closing early.  Police advice was go home and stay there.  It's rather serious.  The motorway between Stirling and Glasgow was closed many times today due to accidents.

OH is in Italy for work this week.  He's due to fly home tomorrow but the airports are closed which means planes and crew are all in the wrong places.  I really don't think he'll be home until Friday.

This was the view from my window at lunch time.

The view from the back door.  You can just see Penny's red comb in the middle of the photo, she's on her perch shouting loudly at me!  🐔 Between the snow showers I went out and swept a bit of ground for her to peck.

Apparently people have been panic buying in the supermarkets!  Luckily I'm prepared with food, water and heat if anything goes off (in my old house we lost power every single time it snowed!!)

Since it's the last day of February I've added up my supermarket spend for the month.  I've spent £153.36 so I'm rather pleased.  However, my fridge and freezer are very empty.  Once the weather calms down I'll need to do a big shop!