Up The Farway Tree

Holidays are over...

I head back to my own house tonight and am working at the university tomorrow morning before I go back to my proper work on Wednesday. Andrew doesn't go back until Thursday - pah! It has been a very quick holiday and I am not quite sure where all the time went...don't seem to have achieved much and not very refreshed! However I did see lots of my family which is the most important thing over the festive period, and although the new year period has been tinged with sadness it was still lovely to gather together.

We had quite a few problems getting back from the family gathering on Saturday due to the snow. It started snowing heavily again and the roads home were pretty scary - we passed a car that had spun 180 degrees on the motorway and was now facing the wrong way on the grass verge. We then got stuck trying to get up the driveway and could neither go back nor forwards. Our neighbours had to come out and help Andrew dig a parking and get the car moving. We couldn't even park on the main road as it is lined with cars belonging to people up a the hill behind our house. The roads are hardly being gritted and there is more snow forecast this week. Apparently in Glasgow there is no snow so I will be leaving this winter wonderland and heading back to grey and cold...!

The gazebo looks like a wee snow covered gingerbread house..

Just a wee icicle we found..

The driveway at mum and dads...

Seb has been quite well behaved over the holidays and there were no incidents of food theft -although I think we have learnt from prior experience and nothing is left within reach! We did find him standing on the kitchen table this morning though and the worst is that he doesn't even care - he started wagging his tail when Andrew walked in. So bold! He also managed to escape from the garden this year and we were only alerted when we heard barking which seemed to be coming from the front of the house. There he was wandering about the front drive as if this was completely normal. By tracing his paw prints in the snow we worked out that he has simply climbed up the snow (which has piled up on a bush beside the fence) and just walked over the fence into the neighbours garden. Unbelievable.

Where Seb escaped..

Who, me?!

I also wanted to blog about the miracle that happened over Christmas. Jessica Wales is a 20 year old woman with CF who has been waiting 4 years on a lung transplant. She was taken into hospital before Christmas very unwell and on Boxing day deteriorated rapidly leaving everyone fearing the worst. Then at the 11th hour a miracle call came - they had lungs suitable for Jess. They feared she was not stable enough to be moved - but then it was her only chance so nothing was to be lost. She received her transplant on the 28th December and was finally able to come off the ventilator yesterday and is now breathing on her own! There is a long road ahead so please keep her in your thoughts and hopefully this miracle will have a very happy ending. To help someone else have a dream come true please also consider joining the organ donor register. Perhaps you can make it your new years resolution..