Trudging home through snow

We've been away for a couple of days.  Last year, we decided that whenever we saw a hotel bargain, we would snaffle anything within reasonable driving distance of home, and take the opportunity to have a mini holiday.  And this year we started early, with two days in...

...can you guess where it is yet?...

...Ewloe, near Chester.

The signpost is actually in Cheshire Oaks discount shopping village, where we spent a happy couple of hours hunting down some bargains on the first day.  (Yes, more stash, but practical stuff like files and pens...and a brief venture into East, over which I shall draw a veil made up of two cardis, trousers, two necklaces and earrings - oops!)  The hotel was lovely, and our room particularly snuggly and warm, which was important the next morning when we awoke to this:

The view from the car, taken while the lovely OH was doing his man against the elements routine and removing the snow.

We took the long way home down a beautifully snowy A41, stopping off in Newport (the Shropshire one!) for a great lunch at the Lutine Bell, and the sad discovery that the "Man of Cheese" as he is known in our house has closed his deli.

January's calendar seems to have shaken off its wrinkles and is looking much better.  I love the pearlescent inks, but need to remember that you can't actually write over them.  Not so helpful in a calendar.

I finally plucked up the courage to draw February's date boxes by hand.  You probably can't quite see in this picture, but the hearts work outwards in a spiral from the centre, and are all outlined with different patterns.  They are connected by a penned chain.  The illustrations are from an old story book  - the Firebird - coloured in Promarkers.

Finally, you may recall that I mentioned OH's enormous box of chocolate, which he received from the godchildren for Christmas.  This is what was left as at Wednesday night.  The blue you can see is tissue paper at the bottom of the box.  Time to suggest he opens those Minstrels, I think...or I might be forced to eat another of those yummy chocolate coins.