Ordinary life: walks,cooking, crochet...

 Such a lot has happened just daily life but it just keeps on rushing by faster and faster?

 Lucy's been groomed and looks as pretty as any dachshund Princess, pretty as a picture and so adorable.

 I made and completed a royal blue floral lattice crochet shrug..

 I altered to fit and added a border to a blue and white skirt from M&S...More Provencal now.

 I dyed a Boden cardigan bright turquoise with some t-shirts too... That was fun! And turned out terrific.

 One night at 10:30 as I walked the dogs it started SNOWING: really large flakes...

 Bemused dogs..

 White blanketed streets.

 Finally made a KUMIHIMO braided bracelet in navy and silver from Hobby craft cords bought in the summer.

 Voila ! A lovely bracelet which has been much admired already.

 Another morning: more snow this time. Drove Miss Y to school with cello for orchestra and House Music rehearsals, early- 7 am-and in the snow!

 Also late afternoon sunny spells at Cuttlebrook walking the dogs: I heard a Woodpecker!!!

 Pippa has to sniff and dog at EVERY mole-hill....

 The pond was frozen over! But not enough to stand on.

Started the Trinity Lace Shrug- with weird poorly explained short rows for the back, what a nightmare!, looks more like a sleeve cap?

 Miss Y made puff pastry cheese sticks and plaited one beautifully.

Then todays walk was superbly sunny and the light was lovely.

Just saw a grouse and lots of birdsong but no woodpecker today.

all those poor trees covered and choked by the ivy...

 Gorgeous curving branches against a blue blue sky!

 And the light turning the bark so greeeen with striking shadow-play patterns.

 Then home to cook a salmon pie - like Delia's coelibiac...

 Leeks, spinach,onions,mushrooms, peppers, watercress,lots of vegetables with pink and red Atlantic salmon in a puff pastry case.

Yum. Yum.

Starting to get used to the fact both girls are vegetarian/pescetarian now and I've ''lost'' 5 lbs without trying whilst eating so much fish!

Dancing for 6 hours at Berkhamsted Ball practice yesterday won;t have harmed either?

January Blues but more about Vienna

Almost a month ago now since I posted anything but it's been a very busy month thus far with lots of walks and crochet , work and research and a few blues thrown in for good measure.

 The sun rose beautifully over the Danube.....

 After a good night sleep in our delightfully huge room.

 And cake for breakfast! Including the Gugelhopfen.

 We got the hang of the Viennese metro system, using mainly two lines .

 Some funny decorations at the these stations.

Loving these Austrian Onion dome churches.

Walking to the skating area behind a hotel this Sunday morning. They don't have it in front of the Rathaus this time. Shame but we were determined to find where it was.

 This was the canal along which we walked to find where to skate.

 Found it!!!!

The Viennese are excellent skaters and their figure skating and waltzing on ice was a pleasure to watch! I was amazed the lady has to skate backwards the entire time! There's an exercise in trust worthy of a management training programme?

There were also groups of skaters who did fun twirling and circling figures in groups of 6 , 8 12 and more!

Miss Y and myself enjoyed ourselves hugely skating among them and we were blessed and thankful for such a sunny day with brilliant blue sky, no rain and a lot less wind at the skating arena.

JJ and Miss E were very patient and waited for us, not wishing to skate themselves.

I wore my newly acquired skates- from Oxford!- and Miss Y's were hired but they were lively leather ones and a lot more comfortable than the plastic ones provided for hire in Oxford.

After skating we were peckish so we walked to the Sacher Cafe- source of the famous Sacher Torte and queued for ages for a 4 person table....!!!

 There were framed embroidered cloths with famous signatures upon it:Look!
Peter O'Toole!

After lunch at the Sacher Hotel we wandered around the shopping streets which were quiet as everywhere was closed, but having found it we planned to come back early Monday morning for the girls to buy their presents and souvenirs.

And after visiting here we were tired and headed back to the hotel for a while.