Our lovely tree from Whinlatter decorated.

Our non-denominational tree-topper (much easier to say than to find) I changed his scarf and added some stars so that he would match our beautiful tree decorations.

We bought this many years ago when we had very little money. It has become a tradition in our house to bring him out every Christmas. Mr. Snowman lives behind our wardrobe for most of the year.

Monday, 26th December

My tummy is puddin' shaped!

Actually have not really eaten that much but feel as if have eaten loads. Walked up Latrigg today which has convinced me that cold/flu/virus is definitely on the mend. Remembered walking up it with Francis shortly after we had moved back up here and how tired I was then. I had to have a twenty minute rest half-way up. Today I did the whole walk without any rest at all. Met Paul and Sas on the way back down to the track. I used to work for Paul at Rafters Bar when we first moved here. I had a long chat with Sas about books.

Christmas Day 2005

Sunday, 25th December

Well and here we go again. Woke up late, opened prezzie's from under the tree; Ricky bought me a tiny glass hedgehog with spikey spines and Marcus got be a reading journal and a hand-painted book-mark, the latest Madonna tape and a box of my favourite chocolates. Watched toy Story 2, which I had not seen before and then Dr Who - ok so now I like the new Doctor - whilst eating our dinner. Marcus ate half of a small xmas pud with some rum custard and R and I had a couple of mince pies.

Xmas Highlight: for me had to be whilst playing Tr. pursuits and Ricky's girlfriend, Jessie, needed to guess the word horse for an answer. Lizzie (my bunny) acted out riding one so that she would get it.

Xmas Eve

Saturday, 24th December

Have not been able to do much owing to cold/flu/virus which left on Tuesday only to return on Thursday. Have walked along Railway track a few times and am working on new story for book. Have given up on Dissertation for a while but will return when current story is complete. Have been playing Everquest like mad - (am now level 25).

The Party

Tuesday, 20th December

This started out as us wanting to have a Christmas meal out. Then I invited Lynne and Nicky and then Francis and then Ricky invited his girlfriend and it ended up as his eighteenth birthday party meal - he didn't want a party. So we all went out to The Swinside and came back and played Trivial Pursuits, which I bought yesterday.

Francis and I went on a walk through Whinlatter earlier in the day, which was lovely.

Ricky's 18th Birthday Cake - of which we are justly proud.

The Cake

Monday, 19th December

More shopping in Keswick followed by a visit to my friend Judith. Spent an extremely pleasant afternoon with Francis and Judith, drinking lots of Earl Grey tea and talking incessantly. Fell very calm and relaxed in preparation for the big, 'cake-making session' tonight.
Have you ever tried making a bed out of a cake? Francis and I tried to make it fun: Marcus was very focused. I expect this was a good thing in the long run as it would never have turned out as good as it did if one of us weren't concentrating properly.
God bless Jane Asher, is all I can say. Hey - didn't we do well?

In which we go a magical walk and meet Santa!

Sunday, 18th December

Decided to ignore bad head and take Francis for a walk the other side of the lake, as he has not been there before. Drove to Hawes End and walked to High Brandlehow where we sat and had lunch, met a very young, very loud and very annoying seagull and then walked back. The weather is very mild, the temperature not particularly cold. The fells look wonderful, though not, I might say, particularly peaceful (there was the usual train of walkers along Cat's Ding-dongs for instance (Catbells: but it has been Cat's Ding-dongs ever since Ricky first walked up it when he was only five)!
Then just as we were passing by Low Brandlehow's Jetty I spotted Santa - getting out of the launch to tie up the boat. It was all very surreal. I said to Francis, "Oh look - there's Santa," I said and we watched with bemusement as he cast off and the boat made it's merry way across the lake with, 'Hark the Herald Angels Sing' rising from it's bowels!

Lancaster with a bad head

Saturday, 17th December

I am sick of shopping - Wednesday we had to go to Manchester to take Ricky for another uni. audition. So we ran round a city we did not know trying to find Christmas tree decorations. Friday saw us in Lancaster doing some more shopping although the journey had been interesting. Marcus drove me to where he works and then back through Broughton to Lancaster, which was interesting. Last week-end I had a bad head and today whilst driving to Lancaster to pick up Ricky from tattooists - it began again (I must have another virus).
Visited Ricky's girlfriend's parents for the first time for lunch. Lunch was nice: headache was not. Met Pops for coffee and (more shopping). Finally picked up Francis and drove all the way home. Am hoping I will be o.k. for Ricky's birthday.
Have realized that R's birthday is probably more important for me than for him in many ways. Also this blood ritual before his official first step into manhood (hmm archytypes at work again me thinks).

Chocolate Bun (aka Eagle Crag).

Look at what we found: a heart-shaped tarn.

Looking up Langstrath from Seargeant's Crag. Bowfell, Esk Pike and Scafell Pike in the distance.

Top of Glaramara from Seargeant's Crag.

Looking down Borrowdale.

Nearly there.

Brina's bum on Chocolate Bun!

Chocolate Bun!

Monday, 5th December

Chocolate Bun was affectionately named by myself one day when I saw it with just a sprinkling of snow on it's dark top which made it look exactly like a giant chocolate brownie. And it has been Chocolate Bun ever since. But we have never made an attempt an ascent to visit it's dark, rich summit - until today.
It is very difficult getting on top of Bun because of a wall which circumvates it and does not have, that we could see, a convenient gap near to the path we had chosen to take (from Seargent's Crag). We did find a sort of illegal one (it looked as if some walker had ripped at the fence and pulled down some of the wall in frustration, and I could see their point really. After having walked through sodden moss-topped grass for hours I just wanted to get up and off again. Marcus said the top reminded him of chocolate; the long dark grass rippling across dark brown mud. The view was not quite as majestic as we had expected and certainly not as magnificent as the one from Seargeant's Crag, which quite took our breath away. But, we have climbed one of our favourite peaks so I can now look up at it with different eyes, knowing it a little better than I did this morning.

Christmas at Whinlatter Forest Centre.

Hmm - a difficult choice!

People get their trees at Whinlatter.

Christmas Tree

Sunday, 4th December

Marcus has decided he wants to, 'do' Christmas this year so we went to Whinlatter to buy a tree. I wasn't convinced but now we have it standing upright in our front room, I am over the moon with it. The smell, for instance, is absolutely wonderful - it is like having a little piece of outside inside our home. Now all we have to do is decorate it.

Lunching at Lancaster

Thursday, 1st December

To be honest I didn't want to go to Lancaster today. It is a long, long drive and I am not stopping in the town first or planning to meet Francis afterwards. However I really enjoyed meeting up with Rachel again so it was all worth it. The lecture was interesting; all about dialogue and dialect. Unfortunately someone left the door to the lecture room open and so there was a bloody great draught coming in all through it. I must be getting old, no-one else seemed to be having a problem with it.

Overwater and Binsey from Longlands Fell.

Little Scafell, Great Scafell and Knott from the top of Longlands Fell.

Two cairns on Meal Fell. Note light from setting sun on the Scafells behind.

Behind Skiddaw in the Snow

Tuesday, 29th November

Re-attempted walk from last week and this time was successful. Started out late again but at least did not get lost or beset by hound-trailers, neither did I have to stop off at farm to ask the way.
My legs felt very heavy by the time I got up onto Longlands Fell but the subsequent walk onto Lowthwaite Fell seemed easier. I was listening to i-pod by then and had developed a quick march in time to Dire Straits.
Reached the snow-line half way up Little Scafell but there was no rock underfoot so it felt quite safe. Wandered over the Brae Fell and saw Kitty (my car) looking all forlorn on her own in the middle of a long lonely moor road.
Made it to top of Little Scafell just as sun looked likely to set but thought I'd take a bit of a risk and carried on up to Great Scafell. Wasn't sure if I was on Great Scafell and spent a ludicrous ten minutes or so up to my ankles in snow with a cold cup of tea in one hand and Wainwright's Book of the Northern Fells in the other, trying to work it all out.
"If this is Great Scafell," I asked Two-Step (walking stick) ,"what the hell is that large lump in front of us?" Turned out to be Knott. I recognised Carrock Fell and High Pike from previous adventures. I should point out that the only OS map available for this area is a 1 1/4 inch to a mile map which is more difficult to read than the 2 1/2 inch to a mile OS map created for the rest of the Lake District, owing to the lack of detail.
Sun starting to set as I reached the twin summit cairns on Meal Fell. It was good to see Trusmador again, a spot I discovered many years ago when I first started exploring the back of Skiddaw and realised what a hidden little treasure-trove it was.
Still can't believe that I managed to climb six peaks on my own in snow. There was a grin on my face that was bigger than me by the time I finally reached the flat fell path back to Longlands.
Beautiful walk. Beautiful Day.

Lanty's Tarn

Fairfield from Lanty's Tarn.

Lanty's Tarn

Sunday, 25th November

Still waiting to do, Chocolate Bun: so I suggested a walk we have done before by Ullswater, since we have not been there for a while. We walked up to the YH and along a path until we reached the path which led to Striding Edge and then veered off to Lanty's Tarn. I wanted to take a peek at the Grisedale Pass; it looked quite exciting with St. Sunday Crag and Fairfield to one side and Helvellyn on the other. Striding Edge was clearly defined in the snow.