The Final Day...

...of the holiday. It was plus degrees and the snow was turning soft and squishy. In places it melted away to reveal wet ice and in other places puddles formed on the still frozen ground.  Despite all that we spent most of the day outside, though sometimes we came in, to bake, hear stories, and eat meals.
I just scribbled down a list of everything the children have done today and was amazed how long the list was. So, in no special order here are the day's activities...
Baking cinnamon buns, putting out food for the birds, climbing (and sliding down) the snow heap, eating cinnamon buns, making snowballs, sledging, digging snow, going for a long walk (extra), putting out gravel on the icy path, identifying strawberry plants, drawing pictures, standing quietly and watching the birds feed, listening to 2 Findus & Pettson books, and as a treat for the last day - getting ice-cream and Christmas cake for pudding!
The picture shows Florence and Eric helping Jan create the cinnamon buns, while watched by daddy Isaac. He remembers baking the same buns with Jan, in the same kitchen, when he was about 8 years-old, around the year 2000!
In my list I mentioned strawberry plants. As we cleared snow, slush and ice from some stone steps some of the greenery that grows between the rocks was revealed. Florence (aged 5) asked; "Are they strawberries?" and they were indeed wild strawberries that pop up every year in that spot.
Tomorrow we'll drive them all to the station at 7:30 and wave them off on their journey back to the UK. It will seem very quite when they depart!
It has been wonderful (as usual) to have these (8) days together. The children have had time to really get used to to us, this home, and the snowy environment. We in turn have had time to get to know the children too and especially the last three or so days have felt very lovely. We may live a long way from each other, and not meet up so often,  but these intensive times together seem to enable us to develop a very reasonable relationship with the little people, and of course maintain our relationship with the parents.
So, thank you so much Isaac and Eleanor, and Florence and Eric, for making the long journey to our home and sharing this lovely time with us.