Freezing Sunday

Some people might say we are lucky in at least we haven't had the snow that has fallen all around us, and I guess we are, but it is still bitterly cold and with the wind chill factored the temperature outside feels like it is minus ten. Looking at the forecast things look to stay the same for at least another three days to come and the mess that is going to cause to everyones travel plans continues. I just hope it doesn't ruin too many peoples Christmas's including my own.

Today see's the start of a extended stay for our little Lucy. She is staying here for four nights with me while her mummy is away on holiday. I hope she has a super time while she is here and it was with this thought in my head that I listened to the church bells in Oakham some two miles away this morning. It is a sound I hadn't heard for ages. To give you some idea it must have been at least two Christmas's ago that I can remember hearing them and then it was on Christmas day. I guess normally the traffic on the A606, which although hardly audible outside, drowns out the very faint sound of the bells. I guess it just an indication of how little traffic there is at the moment.

The morning was spent just relaxing and having a lovely coffee, reading the news on the BBC website until it was time to pick up Lucy at elven o'clock. After cleaning the car window of ice I set off to Oakham to get her and all the toys that came with her. Her mummy gave her an extra big cuddle before we left. As usual she was more than happy to see me and we chatted all the way home with the occasional cough along the way.

Lucy spent the first bit of her time here watching a film on the the television, but it did't hold her attention for long and soon she was playing with all kinds of toys she found in the family room and made a royal mess. She seemed a lot better than the last time she was here and I'm confident her cold will be gone by the time Christmas day comes along. It was while she was playing that we got a call the Catherine and Emily would be delayed by a day. The weather in Leeds is really icy and the roads are mainly untreated. Safety comes first and although I was disappointed it is probably for the best. 

With money being tight and Christmas just round the corner the only place we went in the afternoon was to the supermarket after dinner to get some food. It didn't seem to bother Lucy where she went and she had a lovely time making people smile. She such a good girl in the shops and she is hardly ever demanding which is wonderful in a child of her age. 

After we got back home she help clean out the hamster before she returned to downstairs to play some more and make some more mess, mainly in the family room thankfully. I'm not sure what Emily and Catherine will make of it, but I guess there will be time in the morning for me and Lucy to clean up most of it. Eventually she settled down to watching a little television snuggled under blanket. This took her trough to dinner.

After dinner there just a little time to play before it was off upstairs to have her bath. She had a lovely time in the bath. After her bath I tucked her up in bed and read her some stories. She wanted to play with her toy car before bed and I let her. As I read her last story I changed it to see she was would notice. Her face was a picture and something I wont forget when I said that the spaceship wanted new tyres, the frog was red and that the cat was dog. It was really funny. After a kiss and cuddle from all the people she loves and a special one at the end she went down to sleep with her hands over her ears. It is funny she is doing the hands thing because it something quite new. I asked her why but she could really explain, all I can think of it is noisy at her home in Oakham for some reason, voices or something.

It been a nice day as it always is when Lucy if here. I have missed Emily and Catherine but I understand about the roads in Leeds and it nice to know they are safe a warm, rather having to have traveled on dangerous roads. I know the snow up there and the ice is far worse than it here. Having said that I'm really looking forward to see them tomorrow lunchtime.