Found feather

A duck feather found on the village green.

Shower room RIP

This was the wall of our shower until two men with big hammers came along this morning and knocked it down. Soon the avocado green will be replaced with a (hopefully!) sophisticated and stylish new travertine-lined shower and associated facilities. I can't wait!

Rainbow socks (eventually...)

I can't seem to help buying sock yarn. Current count is enough wool in my stash to knit eight pairs. As the quickest I've ever knitted a pair of socks is 2 weeks, that means I've enough wool to see me through until the end of June at the earliest...

This is the latest acquisition - 4-ply Opal Rainbow. I bought it to make socks for myself, but DD has her beady little eye on it so I think it'll end up being girl socks.

Junior School daisy

The daisy was the emblem of my school - despite that, I still love them. This daisy was flowering on the Junior School playing field today, a sign of Spring and a promise of Summer to come.

Rainbow

A Shetland pony with Attitude :-)

Crocuses

I love the way these open wide to greet the sun.

Robin redbreast

A beautiful burst of song on a gray, damp day.

Collared Dove

The Collared Doves love the bird feeder in the vegetable garden, although they find it hard not to slip down the side arms when they perch on them to get at the seed.

Forty today

It's DH's birthday today, so I made him a birthday cake and DD decorated it.

Three muddy mares

Poppy, Buskie and Rosie before DS's riding lesson. Although still shaggy, their summer coats are starting to show through already, it's been so mild.

Burrs

The sort which darling small children so delight in sticking onto you... souvenirs of a Gun Lane walk to check out our muggled geocache.

The road home

The Chartreuse massif from the long road home.

On piste and off piste

View from the top of the Sache lift.

Cable car

The Sache lift, Tignes Les Brevieres.

Icicle

The black run king

DS looking cool. This year he beat his father down a long black by 10 minutes, which pleased him no end.

Snow on the roof

Chalet roofs, Tignes Les Brevieres. One of these was our chalet, but I'm not sure which one.

Alpine Choughs

Garrulous and aerobatically accomplished, these have to be among my favourite birds :-)

Snowboards for hire

At the ski hire shop.

Chunnel train

Off to the Alps.

More snow

More snow today, although not enough to close the schools (to the kids' great disappointment...).

Black-headed Gull

A lady was feeding the ducks on the village pond on this very cold morning, and the gulls were getting in on the act too.

Flowering quince

Despite it being -3.5 C out there this morning, the Flowering Quince now has leaves as well as flowers. Definitely not right for early February!

Question 1

Comparing the surfaces of the Moon and the Earth.

Rugby girl

Training session at the club for DD this morning.

Frosty morning

A cold frosty morning (good for the winter vegetables, I'm told) has given way to a gloriously bright, clear, and surprisingly warm day.

Swimming lessons

Friday is swimming lessons day. One child swims at 1630, the other at 1700, which means I get to sit in a corridor at the pool (no viewing area, sadly) for over an hour every Friday. Mostly I chat to other parents, read a book, or knit socks (I discovered this week that I have quite a reputation in the village as 'the mother who knits socks at the pool'!). Somehow it rarely feels like wasted time. And afterwards I get to come home and have a glass of wine... the weekend starts here :-)

Birdwatcher

I don't know who he is, but he's far too interested in my birds!