Feels Like Winter

There was a gorgeous frost this morning, sparkling and crisp. I made pancakes, drank coffee, baked another Christmas cake - this one will be a gift - and pottered about the house quite happily. The sunny morning turned into a freezing, wet afternoon but we had an appointment to go to, with a local retired greyhound charity. We put our wellies in the car boot and set off.  We've been thinking for a long time about getting a dog and finally decided to do something about it. We have been waiting for the right time, whenever that is, but I think that we'll be waiting forever if we wait for the perfect moment. A puppy is appealing but, from all we've been told, probably not quite the right fit for us at the moment given that we both work, although my hours are part time. The greyhounds are retired from racing and the charity takes them in so that they can be re-homed, rather than destroyed. From the research we've done, we think that their character, temperament and the amount of exercise they need would be a good fit for us. We met lots of beautiful dogs this afternoon and took two for walks. (It's the only time the children have walked in the rain without complaining.) But I think we've found the dog for us - we just have to pass the home check, which involves someone from the charity coming to our house to check the garden is secure, that sort of thing - and hopefully we may have a dog at home in a couple of weeks. I keep saying it won't be allowed on the furniture. People laugh at me and say things like "good luck with that!" 

In other news, life is good. Work is busy but I am loving it at the moment. I haven't done much Christmas shopping but I have made a small start. Enough to stop me feeling panicky. I've crocheted some Christmas stockings but have delayed showing them to you, in case it's too early for some people. It's not too early for me. I ate my first mince pie today.