Happy 2013 to all

So , the new year's resolution to publish here a bit more frequently than we've been doing of late has gone right out the door, hasn't it? A bit belated, but here we go ...

On new year's day we had an eight-course luncheon feast at our local restaurant. Pretty good stuff, although the dessert was much too big. (A Norwegian omelette is like baked Alaska.)

Before the holidays our 80-something neighbor fell and was taken to the hospital. We gather than some time ago she had a hip replacement and falling dislocates that. She is well, but we've learned from her son, who also lives in the village, that she won't be returning. She'll stay in a nearby village, either at a retirement home or with one of her daughters. It's a bit sad now to have an empty house there.

The old wood-burning stove in the kitchen has been showing its age too. This year it has been very smoky and hard to light. Ed saw a display model stove on sale for half price so we bought that and brought it home. It's the same brand and looks almost exactly the same as the last one (except for being slate blue rather than brown), but the innards are newer and somewhat different in design. (The photo looks a bit bluer that it actually is.)

Wintery weather has arrived. Monday evening after seeing a film in Limoges, we drove all the way home in blowing snow. That batch rapidly melted on Tuesday, but Tuesday night we had a bit more and freezing temperature to keep it around. This is the view from the mezzanine window (new woodshed on left, open kitchen shutter on right),

And a view across a field back towards the house, which you can spy left of center.

Luckily the roads are dry so we've been able to get out in the car without a problem. There's a possibility of icy roads tomorrow, though, so Kaye cancelled her hair appointment and hopes to get into a cancellation in the next week or so. It looks like the weather will be warming a bit, so we'll have rain instead of snow and ice, but we've keeping an eye out.