What are you all up to

Heavy snow this morning (and the A66 is closed btw) but stopped now and have hot chocolate in Keswick.

A mixture of snow and sleet this morning during our walk, but it stopped about an hour ago and the sky is clear and blue now. Still snow in the ground at the moment, though melting fast, but it remains cold. It will soon be time for Flyte's and my afternoon walk.

Bit of a change from yesterday, CS! Is the chocolate as good as that at Zefferelli's?

Lovely advent calender, B2, well done in making it.

Thanks for the compliments, but it was a printed fabric sheet. Quite hard to find one for youngest Kiwi granddaughter that wasn't wintery 🤣, cards are similar. Bought eldest granddauters whilst in NZ. Also made 2 fabric books, I've told daughter the girls would have to share when 2nd baby on the way! I've told DIL that grandson, may have to share them too, but I'm weakening, if leave a bigger gap for page turning I'm sure it will be easier 🤣🤣. Need a visit to the cheap shop in Tiptree - real aladdin's cave of crafting/sewing/knitting treasures, they have a website but you can't beat a visit! It's a real Tardis of a shop, I could be missing for days 🤣

Sometimes it is very hard having family live so far away, BUT we gave our kid's wings and encouraged them to fly. Our daughter didn't go to Christchurch Canterbury to do her degree - too far from home 🤣🤣🤣. Didn't expect her to fly so far. I alternate between real sadness and joy that she felt secure enough to make a new life abroad. Hopefully we'll soon be closer in terms of location to son and family before too long if I'm still sane enough when the joy if house moving is complete. However distance meant never having to consider offering or refusing regular childcare. We'd be happy to help occasionally or in an emergency but we've done our share of childcare. So many friends are still tied to school holidays as free time, they feel sorry for us 🤔

I have to say daughter has great work/life balance, wonderful house with a pool, couldn't have that here, well respected as a teacher - not always the case here, and fabulous climate, seasons but not overly cold winter's although the summer temperatures are getting higher!

It’s the start of winter for our cows - the milk cows came in at dinner time, and won’t go out again until next Spring. They do get to walk up the ramp and round the corner to the parlour twice a day, and can look outside if they want. There’s a few younger heifers out, but they will be in by Christmas. 

The wind has dropped, and changed direction, so the house is much warmer. A builder is coming on Wednesday to sort out the missing roof slates. I’m glad my husband is not planning on doing it himself.

Some snow this morning, but now bright sunshine. An unintentional buy this morning at Booths was a bottle of No. 3 gin - reduced from £35 to £25. There was only one serving left in my existing bottle, so I had that with lunch.

I gave up at 60, as planned. I only had small work pension having taken 14 years out, luckily OH has a very decent one 😉 which he's been happy to share. He'd already been made an offer he couldn't refuse before he had to retire at 60 when Maggie decided it would make space for youngsters to climb the ladder.

Next February I'll receive my state pension which my original contract with HMG was until my 60th birthday. I caught 2 increases in the eligible age 🤬😡😤. If it had been a private company they would have been sued..... Luckily I did go early as we managed some real quality time before OH became very poorly things had to be curtailed.

Cease the day, you know never what lies ahead.......

Having had to work from 25 to 65 to get my full pension, I doubt I will be still drawing my pension when I am 105!  

Very  few offers of early retirement in the private sector, and when you would lose 0.5% of your pension  for every month you decide to go before 65, very little incentive to do so.

Lovely advent calendar B2, we have bought a couple to make for our daughter's children, but making will have to wait till next year now, due to a broken sewing machine and a broken arm!

Very  cold here too, but only a light dusting of snow

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“”I alternate between real sadness and joy that she felt secure enough to make a new life abroad.””

I know how you feel Bakers2.  4 of our grandchildren live in Hong Kong and Macau, as does our eldest son.  Before Covid this was the Christmas we had all planned to meet up and they were coming back here for a few weeks, best laid plans!😢.  Now it’s so difficult for them to leave either place as both places have a zero Covid policy so even if they can leave it’s difficult, and expensive, to try to return with 3 weeks quarantine etc.   Now we have another variant issue so who knows??!  The little one will be at school before we see her again at this rate; she was 4 months old when we last saw her! 

I know exactly where you're coming from. 

When we last saw ours in the flesh in 2018, they were 4 and 2. 

I've been pleased they've had strict Covid rules but sadly it didn't kept Delta out 🥲.

Fingers crossed vaccine will help curtail things and it will be available for the World population. I'm not convinced it will disappear even then but none are safe until everyone is vaccinated. Viruses love to mutate and nature often has mankind in the back foot. Tye recent weather being just one example......