Christmas was always going to be different this year. We had heard the mantra from the government months ago and knew it was a fair assessment! COVID wouldn’t take a break and allow us to see family and friends without spreading and sharing it’s viral load! We didn’t need scientists to work that one out!
So, when the surprise announcement came that we were allowed five days of freedom to mingle with three families and be allowed to cross boarders into all countries within the United Kingdom, it was received with disbelief! But then excitement set in and plans were made, turkeys ordered and presents bought! Alas, a few days later this had changed to one other family and one day! Christmas Day!
For my husband and I it was always going to be just my daughter and her husband. The only border we were going to cross was between Cheshire and Yorkshire! Both counties were in tier two so there wasn’t going to be any cross-contamination! We had booked the B&B. My daughter and I had discussed COVID security so would minimise potential infection risks. We were going to have a good time despite this sword of Damocles hanging over us and the whole country!
And we did have a good time! We started our visit with breakfast on Christmas morning because the owner of our outrageously expensive B&B had decided not to serve meals. No one was going into our room during the duration of our stay and not for a further thirty six hours after we left on Boxing Day. We felt like lepers but I consoled myself in the knowledge that anyone staying there would get the same treatment!
We had a delicious goose with two stuffings, zoomed our families in America and Australia and played scrabble. I helped to feed the animals, spoiling them with their Christmas presents, carrots for the horses, brown bread for the chickens, lettuce for the geese and fancy tinned foods and chewy treats for the dogs and cats!
So another Christmas has come and gone! For us it wasn’t a white one but today the snow has arrived! Photographs were taken and sent to friends and family in warmer climes! The fire was lit and, after a slippery walk down the back roads, I’m feeling snug and warm inside our house!
It’s been two and a half years since I became a ‘Lady of Leisure’! Two and a half year that I have waited to be snowed in and not having to dig my car out of the drive. My husband and I were usually the only two scraping the road up our steep hill and spreading grit! Our younger neighbours waited for us to finish this laborious task before they left for work! It used to really annoy me but we needed to leave early to avoid the traffic! Today it’s a bank holiday and most people are working from home anyway!
But I shan’t let this small irritation get in the way of spoiling my day. It’s relatively bright and not raining! It’s stopped snowing and already beginning to get dark. It has also begun to freeze. Luckily I filled the bird feeder yesterday. It had become a hive of activity just before sunset.
I’m about to pour myself a glass of red wine and sit in front of the fire. The lights from the Christmas tree in the sitting room are silhouetted against the conservatory window and sparkling on the white snow. The tall, leafless trees in the wood at the bottom of the garden are standing stark and still above their snowy white fluffy carpet. It is indeed a Winter Wonderland! Outside my back garden! I feel blessed! Just beautiful! 👠
Jenny Burrell 