SNOW!

Well as you can see it's been snowing for a while...in fact it hasn't stopped or gone away since 17 Dec 09! To start with it was great and we were sledging in the moonlight at New Year etc. Now there are drifts that are over 6ft and the track up to Prydale has disappeared under at least 3ft. So even doing the basics like going to school or shopping means a 1/2 mile walk to the car...not too bad going down but a real trial coming back up...especially carrying shopping on a sledge. We are still ok for oil/coal but if this runs as it could well for another few weeks then even that necessity to keep us all warm could start to be in short supply...no way of

getting a tanker here until there is a thaw! Meanwhile we are homesschooling the kids, living off what we have in store from the summer/what is in the freezer etc. Goodness knows how they survived up here years ago.

All our animals are ok at the moment although some of the geese have disappeared. I only hope they have flown off somewhere rather than succumbed under a deep drift. It really is a harsh reminder of just how vulnerable living creatures(including ourselves) are up here.

This image is of a 6Ft wall! It is amazing how the wind/snow interacts with the landscape and whilst it is very hard going in many ways at the moment it is one of the most beautiful times of year...especially on a sunny day........more to follow