There's snow in them there hills

What a contrast to last Saturday. It's 3 degrees ('When will I see you again' as Sean would say!) here in Bowness and snow has sprinkled the fells. On the way here I could see a white Langdales and pockets of mist hanging lazily over the valleys: stunning! The sun is shining, so far, and there are lots of people around. In the shop at the moment is a coach party from St. Helens  - with all the pick ups they've made en route it's taken them 4 hours to get here and they're ladies on a mission to do all their Christmas shopping in Bowness and Ambleside. Great.

Last night the Christmas lights switch on in Keswick was a treat. The town centre was packed and the Prince Charles and Julia Bradbury double act was brilliant. Of course, the Prince's bodyguards were working hard to keep the space around him clear so it was a surprise to see Julia moving alone amongst the crowd. I asked her where her bodyguards were and she replied that she didn't need them and it was a delight to talk to people she regarded as her friends. She stopped for photos with anyone who wanted one (see stridingedge.net for evidence of our family shots) and was, in fact, a charming, natural lady, just like she is on TV.

Louise