Arrangements.

The PONs are waiting for me in the courtyard. Today, another milestone for Sophie. We are going off en famille for a run in the car.

With a fragile leg there is some uncertainty as to whether Sophie should be lifted in first or whether she should go in after  her brother. We don't want that leg to be sat on. 

We try various permutations of what should be a simple task. Sophie has clear ideas about how she wants to lie. This morning she wants to face left. Her affable big brother does as he's told. Within a minute she's asleep. So much for the excitement of a trip in the car after being housebound for so long.

The morning sun quite spectacular. The sky, red and orange and gold. It's minus eight and the air has that clarity that only frigid air has. In the drawing room the hyacinths that were supposed to bloom for Christmas are only now coming into flower. Better a month late than never.

Sophie has started to skip. This looks delightful but is probably not advisable at this stage. She is encouraged indoors after her morning walk round the garden.

An invite to the annual village gathering. A day when the mayors wife hands out her dried vegetable arrangements to the winners of the most beautiful gardens competition. Every house in the village is entered so there are a lot of dried vegetable arrangements to be handed out. The man with anger management issues has painted his shutters . A new category of improvement to 'facades' has been added just for him.