Advent day 19: Isn't he meant to have a carrot nose?

6 sleeps...

Advent day 10: I am the snow king

15 sleeps...

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

We spent a lovely family weekend in Durham, which is blanketed in snow at the moment. It was quite exciting travelling north on the train and waiting for the first white fields (just north of York). Ella saw her first snow!



Dad had organised a visit to the Tanfield Railway Santa special - you take the steam train, powered by magic coal of course, to the North Pole, where little ones get a present from Santa and grown ups get a mince pie and sherry :).



The snow made it really magical, and it ran as usual (the car park was closed so we had to park at the 'North Pole', but I don't think Logan noticed!). Logan was nonplussed by Santa, but he loved his present (a cuddly owl that he christened Tallulah) and he was thrilled with the train ride.





A really lovely Christmassy trip out.



Logan built a snowman with Grandad - with freshly picked carrot arms instead of a nose.



After a really nice catch up over lunch with my aunts, uncles and cousins, Mum drove us back to London yesterday through blizzards and traffic jams. It's so cold that there's still Yorkshire snow on the roof of the car 24 hours on - the only snow in north London (so far)!

Advent day 20

Middle class snowman - cherry tomatoes and spring onions - on Jo's lawn

This snowman bleeds

He was very tasty though! Meringue base and chantilly top, filled with sponge and raspberry sauce. I've got the day off so I treated myself to a cake and a cup of earl grey at Maison Blanc after the gym, undoing all the good work but oh well! It was such a treat to sit still for a few hours and people-watch; I was sat next to a big group of French mothers and babies who sounded like they were gossiping for, well, France but my French was too rusty to follow. Curses.

Advent day 14

Festive pud from Maison Blanc