.. and the wood was filled with snow...

The snow had continued through the night and even roads which had been gritted were covered and treacherous again but when I reached the woods I could hardly believe my eyes. Magical, beautiful, surreal, peaceful - it was all of those and more. I had been joined by my two friends and their young retriever Brodie and there was absolutely no one else around. All you could hear was the gentle creak of our footsteps as we made our way up the path with the drifts getting deeper and deeper. Despite the fact that the snow was coming down in soft lumps for most of the walk I simply had to lure the camera from my pocket and record the moment. I hope I have managed to convey the sheer magical beauty of the scene.

At one stage I realised that while I could see 2 goldens having fun in the snow there was no sign of Bruce. After a bit of calling with no response I set off back down the path, asking Cara to find him. The snow was really deep as she led me off piste and when I finally found him he was covered in huge snowballs and was obviously struggling to keep up with the other two. I managed to encourage him back to near the path whereupon I collapsed in a heap, completely puggled from the hard work, and my friend captured the moment as I looked around to see where Cara was - and bless her she was behind me, concern for Bruce written all over her face. It isn't the most flattering SP but you may have a look if you wish as it sums up the moment. Luckily the snow was still quite soft and so I was able to divest Bruce of most of the largest snowballs and once home popped him in the Belfast sink again and the tepid water soon eased the rest away.