At last! It snowed all through yesterday, in soft, powder-light showers. This morning I woke up and saw that some of it had (miracle of miracles!) actually stuck, and the trees and lawns were covered with white. It's beautifully cold but crisp outside, and the snow is making me very happy. Sadly, it looks like it may be starting to melt in the sun...but I've really enjoyed having it at all, since I'd given up on seeing any snow this year.

Nika used to re-discover snow with such joy every year - it would make her almost mad with excitement and happiness, and she would leap into the air trying to catch the flakes, then zoom in tight circles around me, grinning and spinning her tail with glee.

Maya isn't bothered about snow, really - she doesn't seem to notice it. I guess that's the difference between spending your childhood in Wales instead of southern Italy...snow doesn't seem like such a miracle! (On the other hand, Patrick has pointed out that I spent my childhood in Michigan and yet I'm still overjoyed by snow every year...so maybe it's just a quirk of personality.)

Yesterday morning Jane Eyre arrived in the mail. I'd planned to work on Congress of Shadows line-edits yesterday afternoon...but, well, no one could really be surprised that I didn't, right? Instead, Maya and I jumped on the couch and I watched all four episodes in a row, while the snow fell outside and Maya slept curled up in my lap. It was just perfect. The new miniseries perfectly captures the intense atmosphere of the story, the passionate intelligence of Jane's voice, the overwhelming attraction and chemistry between two characters who are (despite the difference in their circumstances) always the two smartest people in any room, each other's perfect foils...mmmm. Just wonderful. Of course, because it is based on a book I love so much, I felt great pangs about a couple of key scenes that I thought could have worked even better...but it was a great screenplay, beautifully directed, and the actors themselves were just outstanding. I am very happy to have this DVD. And now I really want to re-read the book again!

And now I'm going to make myself some tea with honey and finally get back to Congress of Shadows. One of Patrick's brothers is a beekeeper, and his organic Welsh Wildflower Honey is delicious. Ever since I got a jar at Christmas, I've been eating honey non-stop. For breakfast: multigrain toast with peanut butter, sliced apples and honey. For mid-day and evening drinks: redbush tea with milk and honey. If anyone has any other suggestions for how to ingest even more honey, I will leap at the chance!