Let It Snow

There will be much wailing and gnashing of teeth if it doesn't.
Katie has talked of nothing but the impending snowfall since she got home from school yesterday -
'I'm going to wear five pairs of socks under my tights, and jeans, and a vest, a t-shirt, a long sleeved top, and a hoodie as well as my coat, I'll wear my thin gloves under my mittens and my ear-hat, oh! but my wellies have a hole in them! '
'You'll have to stay inside then'
'Nooooooooo'

Earlier in the week George had mentioned that his coat was too small and that it was too cold to cycle to college without one.
'Oh surely not, haven't we just bought you a coat?'
'That was Tom. The label on mine says 'age 13-14'
'And you're.......?'
'17 Mum' he replied rolling his eyes.

So today I took George to buy a new coat and a pair of wellies for Katie ('can I have pink ones?', 'no you can have cheap ones'). As I entered my pin number I reflected how you never get a break from having to fork out large sums of money for boring stuff- stuff such as essential clothing for children, car MOTs, road tax, house repairs, new parts for the pc, driving lessons for 17 year olds, and dental work.

Good grief but dental work is expensive. After telling Tom that we would have to save up for a new drum kit as £400 was far too much to spend just like that, I find I will have to spend £465 just like that on another crown for my tooth. Fillings I had thirty years ago are acting like wedges in my teeth and cracking them. If only I hadn't been allowed to put sugar on my Frosties when I was a child.

Spending money on food is considerably more fun. This morning my weekly delivery arrived bearing lots of little sausages, brisket of beef, a chicken and some fine looking half-price cod loins.

The little sausages were tonight's supper tossed in honey and mustard and roasted in the oven. I roasted some carrots, parsnips, potatoes and red onions too.

Tomorrow we will have the cod, possibly bread-crumbed and served with homemade oven chips or maybe simply roasted and served with mash.

On Saturday I will cook the brisket slowly in red wine with some carrots and parsnips and we will eat it with mash. And on Sunday we will have roast chicken. Hopefully there will be leftover beef and chicken for suppers on Monday and Tuesday.

There will be puddings too. It's too cold to only have pudding on Sundays, we need ballast. Rice pud with strawberry jam perhaps, and another mincemeat galette des rois (it was so good), or maybe mincemeat pancakes. Mugs of cocoa may also feature and possibly gingerbread or cinnamon rolls. What do you mean I said no more cake? That was when I was stuffed with Christmas food and clearly not in my right mind.

Here's hoping for a day of snowy fun free from travel difficulties and stress. Keep warm. Unless you are in Australia. If you are in Australia keep cool.