Ahh, now that's better!

The turn of both the year and the weather has cheered me up no end.  The snow and sheet ice has finally gone, leaving January frosty weather, and even this morning no frost at all!  Don't get me wrong.  It's not that I dislike snow - it's just when it hangs around for six weeks and doesn't go away.  Finally this week I have been able to take Little C out for a walk every day, either on foot or with the pushchair.  He gets so excited whenever it's time to put on boots, coat and hat, it's wonderful.

We've also managed to get out in the garden to play (Little C) and clear up some of the detritus that has been under snow since November.  


I've got high hopes for a beautiful garden this Spring and Summer, but am also conscious that I have a baby on the way in March, so I'm largely relying on perennials, bulbs and shrubs which have survived a harsh winter.

We made a beautiful ice decoration, for which I found inspiration on one of my favourite blogs, Border Stories, here and here.  

They are so easy to make.  You basically get a shallow container (plant pot saucer), lay string around or through the middle, put in a couple of decorative items, pour on some water, and leave overnight on a cold night which is going to be below freezing.

The next morning you take it out of the saucer and hang it up somewhere until the weather warms up enough to melt it - mine lasted about 24 hours until we suddenly had a day above freezing, but I'm already to do it again when the temperature drops once more.