Chilly Chipmunk

Last night the temperature dropped to -12C and so, this morning, we were surprised to see a chipmunk in the garden, awake from his winter hibernation.

Feeding the birds, etc..

Yeti footprints in the snow in the back garden this morning where I walked to fill up the bird feeders, which had been completely emptied while we were away..

All the feeders ready and food on the rail, but where are the birds?

The activity has not gone unnoticed by one interested party..

Soon he made his move..

And was soon making the most of the opportunity..

Back to the U.S. - by 'Dreamliner'

Leaving the UK is never easy and this morning the weather matched my mood.

We were returning to the U.S. on the 787 - Dreamliner - and this time we were upgraded to Premium Economy which was quite roomy and cheered us up a little.

Once we were above the cloud, no raindrops and a chance to test the automatically tinting windows.

Later in the flight we could see ice floes in the sea.

As we got nearer to Washington it was clear that there was still some snow hanging around, but we were surprised to see just how much when we arrived back at the house..

We were very grateful to our neighbor who appeared immediately with his snow blower..

As well as his faithful but elderly dog who is remarkably happy to lay in the snow!

With Roger on the snow blower and David using the traditional method, the drive was soon clear, though it is still icy underneath.

Crocus Carpet

Some very dense planting of crocuses in a park alongside the Main Street in Leamington has resulted in a true carpet of crocus flowers.

The majority of them are a very delicate purple - the more robust dark purple and gold varieties at the foot of the trees could not be photographed without crushing the 'carpet'.

Beautiful Blue-eyed Girls

When the weather is cold, Sophie and Emma are often to be found snuggled up together in their bed by the radiator.  It is less common to see them both with their eyes open!

Ginty as the newcomer to the family tends to settle down to sleep on her own - either over or preferably under the duvet..

The Times they are a Changin'

A very happy day today, shopping with Lauren for some essential (and some fun!) items for when baby arrives.

I couldn't help noticing a few things that had changed since Lauren was a baby, such as the phone cover (above) and  tablet cover ..

Both for babies from 12 months, as is this..

We also found some interesting outfits in Mothercare for the young Star Wars fan..

The best of all being the Storm Trooper outfit!!

No, we didn't buy any of the above..

Birthday Lunch

Today we had a Hills family birthday lunch for David's Dad.

We met at the Woburn Hotel for Sunday lunch and it was great to catch up with everyone.