End of the year.

It seems only a few weeks since the start of this year and here we are nearly to the end of it. I think it was John Mortimer who remarked on the fact that breakfast seems to arrive every five minutes as you get older! We have now got to the point of remarking how quickly the weekend paper reappears!

We had a quiet and slightly different Christmas this time! There is usually a succession of family visits over the holiday period but the snowy weather put paid to that this year. We have had to keep in touch by phone and email and will have a succession of visits over the next few weeks which will be lovely. We haven't had much snow really but lots of ice and the pavements are treacherous especially today when they had a little water on them.

The pictures above were taken on Christmas Day afternoon. It is only about 200 metres from our house to the first field and this is the view from the top of it, looking across to the Lorton fells. The building you see in the view looking south is the Sheep and Wool Centre which was one of the evacuation centres in November. Just opposite there is where Woolfest is held each summer.

Even if the weather had been better we couldn't have driven anywhere ourselves as we still haven't got a safe road to drive out on, so we are still marooned! We hope something can be done soon but fully realise that there are still people in far worse position than us after the floods. Town councillors and our MP have been out to look at the problem and promise to see what can be done to help get it sorted. Keeping fingers crossed!

Although work in town has continued on a lower level over the last ten days , it has felt more like our home town again without all the workmen and their vans and skips. One of the bridges has been passed as safe to walk over now so that all the people at the other side of the Derwent were able to walk into town again rather than driving several miles to cross via another bridge. They were very isolated until just before Christmas.

It will be really good to see the renovation start up again next week but also good to have had this breather. Some shops have already got dried out, refitted and reopened and many more are hoping to be up and running by Easter.
Cockermouth is open for business again!

I couldn't keep up with making the badges so we are having them made as metal lapel badges to sell in aid of the Flood Fund. They should be here in first half of January!

Hope they sell out! :o)