What do you do...?

...when you can't get out the house for a week due to the snow? Well, the snow hasn't been that bad, but it is just completely impossible to manage Sophie in the snow, she's too small to walk any distance without getting frozen, I daren't risk the sling, and the pushchair is a non-starter.

The boys have had time off school, and not much of it has been spent in the snow, rather they have been playing with friends in the warm, building things, playing with Christmas presents, and helping strip the wall paper from what will eventually be Sophie's room.

We have decided she needs her own space for her things, and a bed (whether she sleeps in it is yet to be seen, but the option will be there for her). So currently we have a landing full of boxes, book cases, and stuff. We have stripped paint and paper walked all over the house (I've got to the point of wondering whether it is better to just have one massive clear up once the stripping has finished!) Sophie has really enjoyed it too, although I'm glad we are going to paint her walls rather than paper them, as she has developed a liking of stripping wall-paper!

There is something very satisfying about stripping wall-paper, alone with your thoughts, or chatting away to Stuart as we work as a team. Reminiscent of pre-child days, and working on projects together.

I have been feeling very sorry for the chickens in this weather, they have a treat of warm food in the afternoon, and I have been having to break their water every couple of hours on the coldest of days. As soon as the back door is open, they are in. They must be so cold, walking through all that snow. By the way, we have had them for a whole year now, and what a joy they have been. A lovely introduction to keeping your own livestock.

Talking of birds, we have also made some fat/seed feeders for the wild birds. We had some half coconut shells, and some left over bird seed, so mixed with some lard, we have filled the coconuts and left them hanging in some of the trees in the garden.

I must admit though, I am looking forward to a thaw now, and things warming up so I can start some seed sowing in the next month or so.