Thursday 7 January 2010

Geese attack! Cat attack!

After school (yes school was open!) I agreed to take the kiddiwinks up to the lake (about 150 yards from our house so not really a strenuous trek) to feed the ducks. Two of the neighbour's children came with us too.

Well, there weren't many ducks, but there was a fair outbreak of Canada geese.


Yikes!

So we fed them. The poor goosies and duckies (and three swans) haven't got much space for swimming, so they milled about, "honk, quack, honk, hiss, honk quack". The whole lake, barring a water hole here and there, is frozen. I've seen photos from Victorian times of ice skaters and even horse and carriages going across the lake. But I wouldn't chance it myself. Not that I have a horse and carriage mind you, or ice-skates for that matter. I wonder if I could drive a Citroen Saxo across it? Perhaps not.


The sun was starting to set, turning the sky pink. It was quite beautiful. And peaceful. There's something so quiet and peaceful about snow. Unfortunately, some of my photos are a little blurred, I'm not sure if the camera has condensation problems or whether I'm just useless!


My beloved hills.




The geese took umbrage at us leaving and chased us...creating screaming children left, right and centre.
On the way back we picked up Squidge's friend from school to take her to play at our house for an hour. Squidge was pretty chuffed about that and got rather excited. Lol.

Here is the final nativity on Epiphany yesterday. Wise men n' all. Next year a wooden nativity is essential. If only for protection against the local wildlife...our cat.


Chatterbox trying to restrain the cat. Who is officially snow-crazy.
So she just walked about on our Epiphany story pages. Why do cats so love to sit on pieces of paper?



I've had a lovely day today. Mum and I walked into the village. It was simply beautiful with the sun sparkling on the snow. I finally got to the post-office and we visited my Grandma, who at 90 is housebound and doubly housebound with the snow. Mum and I had some good chats as we walked. Thoroughly enjoyable.

On the way home we passed the girls' school and I saw Chatterbox having a whale of a time in the snow with her friends. "KISS!!", she bellowed through the fence, puckering up her lips. Lol, she's so cute.

6 comments:

The Bookworm said...

I don't blame the children squealing at being chased by geese. They can be quite vicious!

My older two were still off school today, though the Lower School where Cherub's playgroup is based was open so she went to that. Eldest dd is very indignant that her school is closed for Years 9 and 10 tomorrow (she is Year 10), but she has to go in for a Health and Social Care mock GCSE exam - for which she has done no revision on the spurious grounds that it is easy and she doesn't need to. I have my doubts! Ah well. Mocks are a good opportunity for learning lessons of the "you need to revise" variety.

Sarah said...

Yes geese are notoriously grumpy.

Ahh, the mock exams. I remember for my A' Levels. In my mocks I got an E in Religious Studies, an unclassified in English Literature (however, our teachers were so worried that they'd be hauled up before the Head that they falsified our results!) and a D in General Studies. Anyway, in the end I got B in R.S., B in Eng Lit and C in Gen Studies. I pulled my socks up to be sure!

A Quiet, Gracious Life said...

That pink sky was *gorgeous*! It sounds like a lovely day--well, except for the grumpy geese.

Unfortunately it is too bitterly cold her to enjoy the snow.

Joyce's Ramblings said...

Loved the pictures. You have so many beautiful pictures, Mock exams I don't understand. You are brave putting up your grades. I know geese are one of God's creatures but they are used as watch animals for a reason. I have been chased by one and I wouldn't turn my back on one let alone a flock.
Glad you had a good day. God Bless.

Susan B said...

Hi Sarah,
Your pictures are beautiful. Being chased by geese...very frightening. I don't blame the little ones for screaming! Your daughters are so cute.

I love your nativity, so sweet. Our cats love to lay on paper too...it's always when I have important papers spread out on the floor or sofa! lol!

Sarah said...

Hi Michele - it's pretty cold here too about -8C at the moment, but warmer during the day. Perhaps not as cold as where you are though.

Hi Joyce - 'mock' exams are exams you usually take about a year before the real exams so that you can be assessed as to where you are up to. And to scare kids into actually revising! In the end I got one of the best results in my school. These days only A's are impressive though. :)

Hi Susan - cats like to be where the action is, lol.