Snow, glorious snow

I was supposed to rest today - but waking to snow I just couldn't help myself and hobbled up onto the Scar with pooch. Fortunately we can now trust her off the lead (it's only been 14 years....) so I could take my time and carefully pick my way. Tomorrow will be a couch day!

I think the clear crisp air must have galvanised me as I came home and decided to tackle one of 'those' jobs - the often put off painting of the stairwell - most definitely not a job for the faint-hearted. I had to utilise all of my climbing and ropework skills - It turns out that one Richard Fortey, 2 National Trust directories, a Van Gogh catalogue, Clive Barker's Imajica and a Beckoning Silence are required to level out household stairs and make a platform wide enough for an extending ladder. Then obviously you can secure the ladder to the banister with prussik cord. A good bit of testing and I was good to go. 
Whilst its nice to look at, all the hallway type walls are a rough / decorative type plasterwork - so a roller just doesn't work - brushwork all the way. Painting 'Almond Cream' over discontinued 'Ivory Bliss' (really who thinks these things up?) was a bit mindbending,   but the system I devised was actually surprisingly efficient and three hours later the entire stairwell was done along with one part of the hallway.
Rather put me in mind of the Darwin Awards*, but fortunately it won't need doing again for years.

*If you are unfamiliar, or just want a laugh - follow the link.