A Postcard from Clitheroe

We had to get to Preston yesterday to meet our son at the bus station there. 

He was travelling home on the Megabus from uni in Aberdeen.

We were very concerned about the journey in the snow, which was 6 inches deep on the P.P. 

We had to dig out the little car, to get to the big car behind it, and then had to use a brush to clear tons of snow off the roof. I packed wellies and some extra food provisions just in case, because I'm a worrier. I was dreading our journey on the M6 and even more worried about our son's journey down through Scotland and Cumbria.

We needn't have troubled ourselves, as we were amazed to find that there was barely a white flake beyond Liverpool as we travelled north

This is Wirral snow still on our car bonnet, surrounded by green fields near Preston. 

We had allowed so much extra time for our journey, we arrived with hours to spare, so we were able to pop into Clitheroe nearby.

We had lunch in Qzine, a great little place down Swan Courtyard, before heading to the most amazing wine shop, D. Byrne & Co. This place is packed to the rafters with every wine you can imagine, and the rooms go on forever through a warren of cellars.

Mr. B. was in his element, and chose a few bottles of French wine to savour over the coming Easter hols.

Next stop was Cowman's famous sausage shop which has an equally overwhelming array of sausages. Quite daunting really, but we came away with relatively safe choice of 'pork and apple' and some big chunky beef ones too. 

Clitheroe has some great shops, but we didn't longer any longer because temperatures were sub-zero and we scurried back to the car.

How weird is this display? It was a barber shop. Very odd.

Clitheroe Castle is at the end of the High Street. Must come back one day and climb up there for a view of the town.

On our way back to Preston we stopped at Huntley's Country Stores .... which is serious Food Heaven .... deli, farm butchers, bakers, fishmongers. The  full works!

We didn't have time to do it justice, so it's on my 'must-do' for our next trip. 

I didn't even get a chance to look in this place.

Meanwhile, back on the P.P. we've got more snow,  and I've got a mountain of washing to do!

Flowers on Friday

Pink tulips in my kitchen, and yes, that is snow piling up on the window pane behind them.

On Christmas Eve ...

When our children were little we always drove into North Wales on Christmas Eve. It was a good ploy to get them out out of the house to contain the mounting excitement. We usually did a walk up to Cwm Idwal in the Nant Ffrancon valley. If we were lucky we might be rewarded with a sprinkling of snow!

We were delighted this year when our grown up children asked to go there again....

Of course, we were expecting snow but we were staggered to see just how much there was. It was positively Alpine ... thankfully we were all suitably dressed for the conditions.

The tables have been turned as our son led the way and had to wait for us to catch up ... when he was small he was the world's worst walker and could never keep up with his sister.

But this time he did have some extra help.... Inca pulled him all the way up!

Inca had a wonderful time, leaping around in the deep snow ... pure joy!

On our way home we dropped into Betwys-y-Coed ...

It was just stunning .... we have never seen conditions like this in all the years we've been going there.

Later, hot chocolates were eagerly consumed in this ice covered hotel.

It's not often the four of us get a chance to spend a whole day together ...

It was a perfect way to celebrate Christmas ... better than the presents, better than the food and drink,

just time with our family!

Too cool for school!!!

I know the rest of the country seems to have broken up for Christmas, but today we were still facing two more days of school ...

This was the temperature at 8.15 as we drove into Liverpool from the Wirral.
Luckily, although freezing and a little snowy, the roads near us were surprisingly clear and we got there with no problems..... unlike many staff in Liverpool who live much closer to school than we do, and had had to negotiate deep snow and dreadful driving conditions ... they had recorded temperatures of -17 C overnight in some areas! They had a terrible struggle into work and most were very distressed by the whole experience.
Lots of children were missing as parents wisely chose to keep them at home.
In the end it was decided that it would be safer for staff, pupils and parents to close the school one day early!

Hurray!!! What a wonderful Christmas present!

Leos don't like snow!

I was walking in from the car with my son tonight and I said how much I hated this snow ...

We both hate the cold....

'That's because we were born in August,' he said simply.

Are there any summer borns out there who actually like snow?

My favourite fictional book ....

Radiotherapy Day ~ Day 12 (9:15)

 I've already done a post about my favourite book,

so I've decided to choose a children's book today.

 This book has held a very special place in my family's hearts

I  first discovered it as a very young teacher

and would enjoy reading it to my class at the end of the day.

Later of course, I introduced it to my own children,

and we were all enchanted again.

Our copy of the BBC serial was worn out through constant watching ...

I still show it in school for special treats (now on a new DVD!)

Any snowy day immediately transported us to the magical world of Narnia ...

a fictional world so utterly believable

My children were thrilled and frightened by the White Witch

and could quote her outbursts word perfectly....

as could my husband!

Many years later, my daughter was heartbroken when she realised that

the 'Aslan' she loved in the TV series was actually animated

...and not a real lion after all.

A fond memory for all of us

was a special trip to Stratford-on-Avon

to see the RSC's fabulous production.

So my award of a favourite fictional book has to go to

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

for providing years of joy to our whole family

A whole new world

I started this blog at the end of November, as a way of keeping in touch with my daughter. She is working away in the North East and misses the Wirral (or the Paradise Peninsula as she calls it).... hence the title of the blog. She started a blog at the same time and we have been able to catch up with what we've all been getting up to and exchange photographs. Her blog is generally about all the lovely things she has purchased, while mine is about family life and often mentions our dog, who is probably missed more than us mere humans!!!

Unbelievably, we have both found a whole new world of blogging and have discovered so many people who have a similar outlook on life ... it has been amazing. Everyone who has contacted us both has been so friendly and left lovely comments .

I would like to say a big thank you to all the lovely people I have met so far. It's been a pleasure!

I just hope I can keep thinking of things to write about!

Have you seen this satellite photo of the U.K. today......it's extraordinary. Let's hope we start seeing some signs of green shoots of recovery before too long!

Because I can .....

Friday morning .... 11.15 .... and I'm having a cup of cappuccino and a scone because I can ..... normally at this time of day I'm teaching Maths to 7 year olds.

Plans for the day?

I could read the paper all the way through and attempt the crosswordI could browse through some lovely magazinesI could look through some recipes to find something tasty to cook for tonightI could do some craftingI could go for a walk across fields of snow sparkling like diamonds in the cold sunshineI could do some ironing ........... (but I probably won't!)

One day, it will always be like this ... having the time to have .... no plans!

I love having "Snow Days!"

P.S. I finally watched Marley & Me on DVD last night despite grave warnings from my daughter not to ...... well you know what happened next ...... I went to bed sobbing! Having a labrador ourselves I empathised with all the naughtiness and destruction, but I don't want to contemplate what the future will eventually bring!

We're having a 'Snow Day'

After a nightmare journey home from work last night of almost five hours, we're having a 'snow day' today. School is shut until Monday! Hooray!
Seriously, the roads are treacherous. Nothing has been gritted and we encountered scenes last night like those Hollywood blockbuster movies about the end of the world .... you know how it goes.... people desperately trying to flee a big city ....trapped in their cars .... total gridlock .... and then hundreds of people walking .... fleeing the nightmare...... and the totally surreal experience of finally making it to the Paradise Peninsula and finding it eerily empty! We managed to reach home at 8.30 p.m.This morning we went for a walk...... how can something so beautiful cause such chaos?Inca's exciting find

Our stupid labrador declined to walk with us, because she had discovered something far more interesting than a mere walk in snow .... a dead bird, lying in the lane behind our house. Delighted, she ran off to play with it, and no amount of calling, or promises of tasty treats could tempt her away from her new treasure. She kept running further and further away from us into the empty fields. We could hardly blame her, because her favourite Christmas toy was a stuffed bird, and here we were trying to take the real thing away from her. In the end, we returned to the house without her, hoping that she would follow us home when she eventually got tired.Luckily, the plan worked because when Mr B. went to check on her about half an hour later, she just trotted back with him, obviously worn out by all the excitement. Meanwhile, the lane is filled with grey feathers .... ugh!

...and this is how Inca spent the rest of the day ..... exhausted by her naughtiness!

Christmas goes back in the boxOn twelfth night Christmas is finally over and the decorations must come down. I hate the way the house looks .... strangely bare. I like the idea of having our home decorated for the seasons, so I'm going to make an extra effort to decorate for Easter this year! Do you know that Tesco is already selling Hot Cross Buns and Creme Eggs? Crazy!!!!