Back in the UK

We made it back home on Wednesday morning and were welcomed with a good deal of snow. We were lucky to get a car to pick us up from the airport and drive us home. The schools were closed already - many not to re-open for the week. When we got home, I immediately turned up the heat - but the radiators would not get warm. We called a heating specialist and sent e-mails - but had no luck in reaching anyone. I finally figured out how to reset the boiler on my own and the temperature slowly began to rise from the icy 49 degrees (Fahrenheit) it sat at all day. We were bundled up in layer upon layer of sweaters and blankets.
Here are a few pictures from my ride into work on the train Thursday morning around sunrise.


Alexa had school on Friday - so Amber took her to and from school on the icy sidewalks. Alexa slipped once on the way home and bruised her hip pretty good - but it has not slowed her down a bit. The girls built a tiny snowman in the front yard - but I was unable to get a picture of it before it toppled over. Here is Alexa navigating the sidewalk close to our house.

We slept in until noon today - we could not quite believe it, but we awoke to more snow and wind. We went to the grocery store to do our regular shopping and it took us 20 minutes to navigate the icy walkways to get there. The place was packed and reminded us of hurricane shopping in Texas. It was snowing even harder when we left laden with our several bags of groceries. To avoid any major falls on the way home, we took a taxi home.
Here are the girls trying to catch snowflakes on thier tongues. It is really snowing even though you can't see it in the picture.

Most of the sidewalks look like this - covered in iced-over footprints.

Now we are cozied in for the night and looking forward to Richard's arrival tomorrow morning. We are hopeful that his plane will make it here safely and he will be able to get home from the airport easily.