In the bleak midwinter

The last few days have brought the first snow of winter - very brrrrrrrrr but also very pretty!
Saturday was an unusual day - had just got back from a lovely romp with the dogs and we'd got cozy and settled in for the rest of the day when there was a knock at the door. I opened it to the lovely surprise of my mate Steph who I've not seen for about 3 years. Only Steph could open conversation after all that time with a bizarre question like: "Want to come skiing?"!!! "Errr, OK!" I said ... So she has all this gear loaded up and off we set - I got to drive her brand-new Landy TDi - verrrry sexy (& also comfortably scruffy inside aleady, lol!) The skiing was quite mad but fab fun - I'm fairly bad at downhill skiing but at telemark (cross-country) well ... I didn't quite spend all of the time on my backside! Boots three sizes too big didn't exactly help either, lol! Someone told us it was -8c out - thought it felt a bit nippy!! Anyway, that was Saturday's adventure! :o)
Then on Sunday we had NAWS. Set off on sheet ice and arrived on the venue on sheet ice. Really didn't think many would be nuts anough to go but actually there was quite a respectable turnout! Car parking duty involved finding a flattish bit on the approach road and waving people to slow down and wind their windows down, then yelling as they passed that they had to keep going once they got into the yard or they'd not get up the slope! Meanwhile a lovely couple were bashing their way through frozen grit to try to defrost the yard a little. We only had one car get 'stuck' - pretty good really! The judges put up some nice courses. Tim did some lovely bits in both - he did superb waits (good boy!) and in the agility he did an amazing confident send to the finish both runs - wow!! Unfortunately on his second run I backed off a bit too soon when sending him to a tunnel - was trying to get ahead to pick him up after - and he came with (at!) me - I tried to block him but the boy was shifting ... we ended up in a heap! Damn muscle strain wrecked again. Owwww. Still had Maisie to run but just couldn't run so had to take it steady and used the opportunity to reinforce her contacts - she did lovely 2o20 on the A-scale for the first time at a show in yonks. Anyway she still finished 7th and 8th in her classes, good Mouse :o)
I was quite lucky on the journey home - very glad to be in the Landy though, but poor Jules (who'd been judging) had a nightmare journey on the frozen motorway. I do hope everyone else got home safe and sound.
Here are obligatory happy dogs in snow piccies :o)