"We've gone on holiday by mistake!!!"

Can you guess what happened?

Remember that cottage, our weekend getaway, our country idyll, that cottage that we decided to go in November instead of January in case we got stuck there because of snow.

Will it surprise you then that on Sunday we got snowed in, in that cottage until yesterday [Thursday] when we made our bid for freedom with the help of the local shepherd who indeed 'shepherded' us along the seven miles to civilization and boy did I leap out of the car to hug and kiss him.

I could write long passages telling of the stress, the loss of wages, the feeling of utter isolation, the hunger (I don't think I've ever gone so long without cake - Hubby and Father-in-law had to walk those seven miles into town and those seven miles back to get us food), the lack of radio or television so no idea what was going on in the world, my Biscuits missing the first day of advent and the joy of chocolate that brings, the fear of feeling so helpless and trapped but the worst, by far the worst was seeing snow as an obstacle and prisoner.  I tried to enjoy the bunnies bounding and frolicking about in the snow, the deer over yonder on the hill and the beauty of a snow laden countryside landscape but all of it was tinged with a desperate need to get out and home.  Wishing for rain to wash it all away and the desperation to see the gritter coming up the hill.  I love snow, love snow so it was horrid to feel negative towards it.

We were so lucky the owner of the cottage told us we could stay as long as we needed no charge and to help ourselves to the logs in the shed and the wine in the attic to which I cannot describe our gratitude but boy am I put off going away in the winter again and boy am I never paying attention to weather forecasts.  I don't ever anyways but on this occasion I checked all week, 'light flutterings and sleet' I read.  The locals up there knew it was coming.  How come weather forecasts seem to depend on where you get them?  I looked up the Met Office online for goodness sake!

Luckily the road home was clear all the way and considering how often since Sunday that particular motorway and the forth road bridge was shut, we were blessed with little traffic, sunshine and no snow!

I should be panicking at the time I've lost (homemade Christmas an' all) but I cannot.  What's the point getting stressed over things I can control when I just went through an experience where I had no control except how to react?  Feeling trapped had made me appreciate the freedom to choose I usually have.  It feels like I've been away from my real life for yonks and I'm so glad to be back.  I even spent all day cleaning and didn't complain once [shock!!]

*BIG SIGH*

 The irony is once having 'dug' ourselves out of the snow 'twa hoors awa in th' Glens' we had to dig ourselves into our house.

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