Snow arrives

The roads have got a bit slippy with the arrival of some sleet and snow. We all managed along to our Christmas night out at the Milton of Friday however. The squash blog has all the photos but here's one of Jo trying on her party hat for size:

When we got home, I took a photo of me in my new brown jacket:

I decided to give Pittodrie a miss yesterday afternoon and go and play squash instead. We had been discussing the incident last year when Jo dropped me off at Findrack and got lost and stuck in the snow, and conditions were similar this time - and we definitely had some fun and games trying to get up to the squash court. Keith had agreed to pick me up in his Audi TT with 4 wheel drive. We got up to the estate and started to climb the long uphill driveway. We got about half way up when we saw a big Jag spread sideways across the narrow drive - it was Richard - he was stuck and couldn't go any further.

Keith stopped his car but we then started sliding backwards - there was nothing we could do - down and down we went. After about 100 yards we thankfully came to a stop before we hit the entrance pillars. Keith parked his car on the level and we headed up the hill to try and help Richard, but there wasn't much we could do. In the end we were happy to get it off the drive and parked in the ditch - it would have been madness to try and take it back down the hill anyway as the only thing that would have stopped it would have been a tree or the entrance pillars.

Next problem was Dave - he had taken his little light Micra and had made it to the top of the hill OK, but now he was worried about getting it back down safely. Gingerly, he got it down to the level. Good - now we could go and play squash. It was a walk straight uphill, about one third of a mile, in the dark and on an icy driveway. By the time we all got there, we felt like we had played one game already!

After squash we had to work out logisitics for getting us all back home. Dave was heading straight for Potarch, so Keith said, don't worry, we can get 3 in my little TT. Down the path we walked - tricky in the dark and on the ice. Only one of us fell - guess who? I stumbled and landed awkwardly bending my knee back the wrong way - much as I had done 40 years ago at football training - I feared the worst for a moment, but got up OK and soldiered on towards the cars.

Next job was getting in the back of a car whose seats are designed for infants only. One of back seats was already folded down to take our squash gear so there was just one tiny space for me to get in to. It was a struggle - my big walking boots got stuck in the floor well - but eventually I was sort of prised in, with my neck bent double under the low slung roof. Richard then tried to get in the front passenger seat, but it appeared that the door was frozen solid and we couldn't open it. There was no option then but to abandon plan and transfer Richard and I to Dave's Micra - he agreed to detour and drop us off in Banchory. Easier said than done - they had to get me out of the back of the TT first of all! What a job that was - eventually I was half hauled out and we made our way down to Banchory - on the main road, the long way - the Glassel Road was too slippy. When we got to Banchory, we discovered that the front passenger door of Keith's car wasn't frozen after all - apparently, I had accidentally pressed the door lock swtich with my body as I struggled to get in!

When I finally got home, Luca was just being put to bed so we said goodnight and hoped we wouldn't hear from him again until about 7 am. Fat chance - at 5am he was wide awake, so Jo went in beside him. She managed to keep him there for another hour before they both went downstairs at 6 am. Jo reckoned it was her punishment for not putting him down yesterday afternoon and packing him off to bed last night without him having had his usual routine afternoon nap. She had hoped it might work to our benefit, but I guess not.

This morning (Sunday), it's just Luca and I - Jo's off to church. We walked to the shops to get my paper and some chocolate for Luca. He put a pile of coins in his pocket and off we trotted. I decided we would take a slight detour and walk across the golf course. It was a beautiful, snow-bound morning. Luca loved walking through the snow and making his own line of footprints. I took my gloves off and asked him to pose for a photo - no chance - but I eventually got this snap:

Rover - go fetch my glove - so he did:

We got to the paper shop and Luca selected his chocolate - a finger of Fudge - went up to the counter and pulled out a coin - 10p - a bit more please - so the next coin was 5p - that's perfect, and off we trotted back home. He didn't want to open it until we were back in the house - it was good.