Pure joy of an afternoon: PUNTING

Last Sunday afternoon we simply had one of those blissful beautiful afternoons: pure peace, perfect pastime: punting on a gloriously hot sunny day.
A breeze whispering past your ears and caressing your shoulders. Geese and ducks to watch and / or feed and later we saw the most delightful families of ducklings too. Dragonflies of every hue: black to blue and green to turquoise.

Cherwell Boathouse: punt #82, brand new and JJ at the helm of the pole. Everyone happy.

Serenity prevailed. I cannot remember the last time we felt so utterly relaxed and ''chilled'' and no alcohol or food involved, just water, a boat and warm sunshine.

Miss E learning a few of the technicalities.

Miss Y , determined to join in, practices her skills with the oar.

Soon distracted with simultaneous video-ing and feeding of duckling family. And hey that's not stale bread, these were organic corncrackers intended for luch/snacking.... much more appreciated by these adorable cuties.

4 hours later, back where we started. Lunch at the pub on the river, where Miss E had to keep checking the goal status of Englandv Germany. Such was the day that the ignomineous defeat did not affect us.

This was with my new camera!!!!! Now many more catch updates to come- weather permitting, being a confirmed sun worshipper I don't blog when the sun shines!!!

PGL, Portsmouth, Pure pleasures, Present and a Parcel from Japan!

Not that any of it can beat this PUNTING day but do visit soon, when the other p's will be blogged. More crochet on the way too, very Promising.

SNOW!aMAZING AMOUNTS OF PURE WHITE POWDER SNOW

S.N.O.W.!!!!!!
After the truly amazing frosts we had yesterday with the temperature at dogwalking time ( 8.30 am) at -6 and by 4pm it was still only -4: those frosts gave all branches a set of white ''spines'', it looked like there were white ''thorns'' everywhere and when you touch them they melted away.
After that THIS! Been snowing since 6 pm, now 21:42 and we have at least 4 inches I'd say...

It keeps falling off the branches, they cannot hold anymore...Lucy LOVES it, been out every 15 minutes to dash about and catch the large falling snowflakes in her open and upturned mouth.
Then she snuffles down into the deep powder and eats some more.

Kids are ecstatic: surely there will NOT be school tomorrow? The sledges are propped up ready by the front door- fetched from the garage while we can still get into the garage....

FUN SNOWTIMES FOR TOMORROW- we hope.

Curtains are being kept open so we can stare in amazement and wonder: snow like this in Oxfordshire has not been seen for quite a while.

JJ is stuck in a hotel in Chester: snowed in. Mum is OK, we have chatted on the phone she has food supplies; milk,bread and eggs and enough oil and wood for heating and open fires and had promised not to venture out in case she slips or falls.She too is watching the snow fall on the beautiful Hamphire hills and keeping the curtains open as it's just sooo ....beautiful.

Breathtaking.

A . White. World.

Quiet. Silent. No cars. Pure , white, innocent. No roads or gardens can be seen, the white blanket covers it all. Soft powdery, downey whiteness.

Will blog again when all the playing in the snow has been done, blogging holiday 'till then. Bye!