snow – Page 2 – Louisa Parry

3BT – snow again, spices, snow again again

1. We wake up and the world is freshly white again. After more than a fortnight, it feels like we’re living in the perpetual winter of Narnia. Later, colourful coated kids trek along the hidden path to go sledging in the distant meadow.

2. For the first half hour of cooking, looking at the dry spices on the meat makes my throat hurt in anticipation but then the juices conquer them and we’re left with a delicious moist crust.

3. Looking from a dark room into the dark world, the branches of the trees seem ghostly and unreal. Or perhaps I’ve been spending too long in the Undercity…

3BT – planning, unnatural love, last snowy walk

27/12/2009 / louisa / 0 Comments

1. We push the plates and cutlery aside and spread out the paper. We scribble as we talk excitedly and by the end of the meal, we have a plan.

2. We know we’ve hit a certain age, a certain sensibility, when we stare at a shower cubicle in Homebase with such adoration.

3. The cats and I stomp around in the last of the snow, heading into the woods. By the time we turn back, we hear John splitting wood so take a detour – the cats through the holly tree, me up the slippery slope around it – to join him.

3BT – white world, worry, tell-tale signs

24/12/2009 / louisa / 0 Comments

1. We wake up to a world even whiter than before. Even the tiniest branches are covered with inches of snow. It looks so cold but under our giant duvet together, we’re blissfully warm.

2. I’ve been worrying about the old house for a couple of days – we hadn’t been back to check on it since the cold spell really got going and I’ve been troubled by images of burst pipes, flooded rooms and arguments with insurance companies. We take a break from work to drive over mid-afternoon and everything is fine – in fact, it actually feels warm in the house even though there has been no heating for weeks. I become giddy as my anxiety floats away.

3. I return from neighbourhood cat feeding duties covered in white fur from furtive hugs – the feline equivalent of lipstick on my collar.

3BT – wiped clean, productivity, buttons

22/12/2009 / louisa / 0 Comments

1. The dusting of snow each night erases footprints like an etch-a-sketch.

2. For the first time in a few weeks, I write out a decent to-do list and use it as a project tracker throughout the day. The sense of accomplishment at the end of the day is wonderful.

3. I tip out the bag of buttons onto the bed sheet and pick through them to find the perfect three.

3BT – grit swish, concordance, over-excited about juice

21/12/2009 / louisa / 2 Comments

1. The regular swish as the men brush grit.

2. I randomly stumble upon Clare’s “Three Beautiful Biscuits” and think, not for the first time, that Clare and I might actually be the same person.

3. I squee loudly when I find the forgotten-about spare bottle of orange squash. Just what I wanted.

3BT – cold paws, colour, curry

20/12/2009 / louisa / 0 Comments

1. We return from the shop but the planned bacon butties are put on hold because, for the first time in days, the cats show an interest in the outside world. We walk down the chilly garden together, the cats sharply contrasted with the white. Boron shakes his cold paws with every step.

2. As beautiful as it is, the white world has made me crave colour. I wear my new-to-me stripey jumper for the first time and when I’m looking for wool at the yarn shop, oranges and purples leap out at me. I buy some and imagine curling up under a giant, bright granny-square blanket.

3. John makes us a curry for tea and it’s his finest yet – spicy and highly flavoured but not oppressively so. The best thing about it though is there are enough leftovers for dinner tomorrow night too.

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