I went for a walk through the deep snow yesterday to hand deliver a 26th wedding anniversary card to Lord and Lady Haddington. Took me a good while and the walk, in Wellington boots, was quite exhausting. It was a real effort to drag the back foot out of the snow to take the next step forward.
Having reached the west wing and popping the card into the letterbox I took a much longer 'roundabout' way back, via the west drive (which had been snow-ploughed) and a fair walk back on the roadway to the east gates, a few yards from my cottage.
I had a really strong cup of Assam tea soon after I'd stumbled into the back door. Oh what a welcome and reviving beverage that was!
My successor at Mellerstain, Angus, had a head-on crash whilst he was taking two of the cleaners back home on Monday. They were all taken to hospital for a check up. I am so happy to say that they were all returned safely to their homes with just some nasty bruises and well shaken up. Black ice was the culprit; treacherous stuff. Angus's car is a write-off but insurance will cover that loss; no significant injuries is the main blessing in this event, an event that is probably being replayed by many others in this awful cold spell.