P&P IN THE WINTER

Monthly updates were getting tiring and quite frankly boring! Some months work takes over and it rains continuously. Others I hibernate! So there’s nothing to wax lyrical about… And no pretty pictures to log! It’s about seasonal updates now as in amongst the rain and work there are still beautiful days and adventures that I want to look back fondly on!

Ah winter – you seemed to go. On.

For. Ever. Even the cows failed to be impressed when we had snow sprinklings from time to time!

We’d be fooled by a mild day. And then boom, sleet or a hard frost the next! Sometimes cold can be pretty on those beautiful frosty mornings! But mostly too cold to function. Thank goodness for the extra plug in radiator that follows me round the house!

December

A lovely relaxing month. We had a lot of leave to use up and I was also able to knuckle down and put in some big hours of work from home. Avoiding the commute is always a winner, especially in the winter! Mr P livened up a few of his work video calls with festive tire!

We had our surprise success trip of the year. To Madeira. Hastily arranged and made possible by one of Mr P’s friends in amazing places. The island is beautiful and unspoilt, walking to 1900metres above sea level and taking in the view of the clouds below was incredible. The hotels were stunning – rural idylls in the city, stunning gardens and sublime accommodation.

Christmas was a relaxing affair with family, at home and in Cheshire. We mostly had a quiet time making the most of our first Christmas in the country. Days were spent by the fire, under a blanket, dozing or reading. Bliss.

January

Bleak it certainly was. I hibernated to such an extent (December and February too) that one of the neighbours was worried about me! Whenever we saw sunshine we (obviously) immediately put on wellies and warm clothes and go for a walk. Any available vitamin D was grabbed. The rest of the time was spent working, our busiest time of the year – the month zoomed by!

Lumiere came to London briefly. A shame it couldn’t have stayed for longer but we managed to see some of it on the South Bank after work one evening.

The definite work ‘highlight’ was coming back from Amsterdam. Moments from landing at Heathrow the engines roared and up we climbed… The captain eventually told us ‘we have a problem with our landing gear…’ I kinda guessed that – since it wasn’t down… ‘We’re just running a fix and will line up again shortly…’ All I could imagine was oompaloompas in the hold pushing the wheels out! Whatever it was, our second attempt was normal!

Sadly we said goodbye to my Gran this month. We used the trip to Cornwall to explore more of her beloved country. Whenever we are there we get sent somewhere new only locals know. Family secrets are the best.

February

The highlight of this month is always dinner at The Black Rat for Mr P’s birthday. Totally deserving of its Michelin star, it’s a cute little Winchester inn with roaring fires and edgy menus that always delight. This time they really came into their own, the whole meal was superb. But the best surprise was an off menu deluxe dairy-free pudding just for me. Fruit salad wasn’t even offered. Instead they made aero type chocolates to go on a torte with raspberries and blueberries. Di-vine. Why can’t every restaurant worth its salt do this?!

February Mr P had a massive month of travel – skiing, South Africa, Norway and somewhere else (I actually lost track)! Thankfully when he was home we made the most of the sunshine!

And when he wasn’t home, well we had a fantastic sunny girls weekend instead!

And so onto a much needed springtime! It’s birthday month first, there are 100’s of daffodils waiting to flower in the garden and one of the best bluebell woods in the country is just a couple of miles away. April brings our 8th wedding anniversary, nicely timed once again with Easter. And we’re planning to end spring on the Algarve and I can’t wait to explore more of Portugal!

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