All White Now

I expect it's all my fault, because I started Spring-cleaning yesterday.

I just looked round the kitchen and thought - - - ewwwww, yes, I know I have been working very hard recently, but I don't think it's been at housework.

I'm not saying it's a long time since I pulled the microwave right out and cleaned behind it - - but I found a note back there that Olli wrote whilst at school - - and Olli will graduate from university this summer.

Anyway, it's a lot better now. Should the Clean Police arrive to inspect it this afternoon, I will probably be let off with a caution.

In the Olden Days, of course, the doctor who lived in this house had a maid, and I don't seem to have one. Damn.

Anyway, of course, all this Spring Cleaning lark served only to bring on one thing, and that was proof it's still winter. Here's our front garden today.

Olli and I bravely went off in the blizzard to the swimming pool for half past eight. Mum had been going to come but fortunately decided the path might be too slippery - she seems to have belatedly wised up to the fact that falling over's not a good idea for her.

And the roads were slippery - there hadn't been much traffic. We swam our mile and the pool was blissfully uncrowded. On the way back, down the hill to Oakwood, the car began to slide gently - - luckily not fast, as I was going really slowly. Fortunately the lights turned green just as we reached the bottom so I could turn left and drive away as if I had done the whole thing on purpose.

Soon after we got home, I was watching the birds on the bird table (which I have supplied with seed, peanuts, dried mealworms and small pieces of fat, thus attracting every bird in North Leeds) we heard strange scratching noises outside the back door.

What strange animal could this be?

A quick look gave us the answer.

Yes, things are back to normal, after Mum's broken shoulder. More than three flakes of snow and she's out there, shovelling it from the steps, clearing the paths.

"But Mum, didn't you say you were worried about falling over?"

"Ah yes, but now I'm out in it I can tell it's not very slippy snow. Though I should put some salt on these steps, if I were you."

When Mum said she was thinking of going swimming, the physiotherapist suggested that she might start by bobbing about for a bit in the baby pool. My mother's contemptuous expression as she related this to me was most entertaining - and, of course, she has been several times and managed to swim pretty well and can do all the strokes, if a bit slowly.

The physiotherapist never mentioned shovelling snow as good excercise for a nearly-eighty-six-year-old with a recently-broken shoulder. But I expect it is. And I'm afraid we can probably expect more snow, because I'm carrying on with the Spring-cleaning today.