Snowy memories...

Seeing all the snowy pictures all over blogs and facebook this weekend has made me want to do a snowy post too! We didn't actually get much here in Somerset though, a little dusting really, though the local children were out in force building snowmen and making snow angels on the ground. So I am cheating a little bit with today's pictures, they are all from a few years ago, at my parents old house in North Yorkshire. 

For much of my childhood, we lived in an isolated house out on the moortop between Reeth and Richmond. We used to get a LOT of snow each Winter, and would often get days off school as the school bus couldn't make it up the hill. It brought a lot of excitement to us as children and we had a lot of fun in the snow, me and my brother Laurence and then later, with our sister Harriet too. We owned a large field at the back of the house, and used to sledge down it with dad - I even remember him skiing down it one year! Unfortunately I haven't got any of these really old pictures to show you, though there are lots in albums at mum and dad's.

These photos are actually from a couple of different occasions, 2005 and 2010 I think, when I had gone back to visit them over Christmas.

As I've grown older, the magic of snow has worn off a little... mainly because everything seems to grind to a halt even when there is only a couple of inches on the ground and I just find it so frustrating... I still find it breathtakingly beautiful though, especially when it is as crisp and clear as this day was.

 Believe it or not there is actually a dry stone wall under all this snow!

 Can you see the moon still out? (I think it was only about 8.30 in the morning when I took these)

 Sunrise...

...and this is one of my all time favourite pictures, in fact I still use it as the background on my computer. Dad took when he was out on his daily walk one year. It is looking back at their house over the fields - if you look just to the right of the centre of the picture just below where the hill meets the sky, that little dark patch is their old house and garden. I love the crispness of the snow with the blue sky and the patch of mist in the valley. 

They actually moved away from the area the year before last though and I do miss going back to visit. At times when I was growing up, it seemed like a bit of a pain because of the isolation and it was really easy to take the stunning views for granted, but it really was a beautiful place to live. I don't know whether I will ever live anywhere like it again, but looking back, I definitely feel lucky to have lived in such an amazing setting for so many years.

Don't get me wrong, there were some very bleak, horrible weather days up there too, as it was just so exposed and open to the elements. In fact, the day I took these pictures, me and dad had gone for a little walk just to get out of the house and oh my goodness, it was the most windy day I have ever experienced in my life. Once you got down the hill where these are taken it was fine, but out on the top road, I felt like I couldn't even breath, it was really awful actually. Every time I took a breath, the wind whipped it away before I could get it down!! I had to walk backwards, with my scarf over my mouth and still could hardly get enough air to breath... not a nice feeling at all!

Anyway I'll leave you for today with this photo which always makes me smile. I think it's from the same Christmas... Me and Harriet built a snowman in the garden, then she built a teeny weeny baby one next to it! Just look at it's little scarf and hat... it does make me smile every time I look at it! Anyway, hope you are managing to stay wrapped up cosy and warm - have got all my thermals in use here and my hot water bottle is never far away either! Back soon xxx