The more it snows tiddely-pom

The above is a line from The more it snows, which is featured in the Hums of Pooh (as in Winnie the)

It is catalogued as an outdoor hum for snowy weather and it is very good for keeping the feet warm.

I sung it (in my head obviously) whilst walking to the village shop this morning for milk and bread. Due to the snow I'm at home today and, despite several attempts, have been unable to get my work laptop to function on my home dial up connection, so am enjoying a free day of pottering around the house.

The snow scene outside is very picturesque and peaceful. There is something very calming about snow when you have accepted that you aren't going to necessarily do the things you planned or be able to get to work. If we're not too adversly affected, it's like a free pass from nature to stop and enjoy a welcome break from the usual routine.

I for one will be watching a DVD this afternoon and reading more of The Box of Delights with a cup of tea and a biscuit!

Childhood memories

In the run up to Christmas this year I am re-reading The Box of Delights by John Masefield. I remember watching the BBC adaptation as a child  and being utterly entranced. The desire to re-capture the feelings of wonderment that a child connects with Christmas gets stronger the more commercialised and diluted this season becomes. Christmas is where the story starts, so reading a children's book in which the landscape is wintery and covered in snow, somehow helps me to re-capture the hope of new beginnings where everything is pure white and magical, with a hint of the adventure to come.
The Box of Delights is also a classical tale of good versus evil, which perfectly reflects my sense that the true meaning of Christmas is fighting back to be heard above the clamour this year.
We did have a brief flurry of snow here this morning so I may yet be treated to the beautiful sight of snow covered fields and trees before the year is out.  

Feline friends

Having cats around the place, for me, is an enourmously pleasureable thing. I think all pet owners would agree that animals do have individual character and personality, perhaps not to the degree that we do, but certainly every cat I've ever owned has distinctly different personalities. I do find them fascinating - especially the feline obsession of sitting on cardboard/paper (see picture of Purde below!) I'm trying to take more pictures of them to capture the life of cats - getting action shots is tricky though, sleeping ones are much easier as they spend alot of time doing that!