FREE TIME

I went out to lunch with my dear vicar friend today.

I hardly see the old goat these days - he has got so much work on. He brings me my breakfast and tea in bed (so I stay out of the way!), then he disappears up to his attic. Most nights he comes down for his dinner, then he works til got midnight. I know we can't moan, we actually have money in the bank, and that's a first for this time of year (normally we are into the over draft until Easter comes and the season kicks off again): but I have been getting a bit lonely.

Anyway, I felt like a treat out (and seeing another human being), so us girls met up for lunch. We ended up at The Chocolate House. Cute or what? My poor little friend is very down at the moment. It has been a really tough winter on the fells this year. It is never easy: but this year has been even worse. There are farmers still waiting for farm subsidies from last April, then we had such a wet summer, and now the snow is lingering about on the top of the mountains. Some farms are so remote that they have no mains gas/electric/drains/water (even we can't get Sky reception). Remote looks very cute in the pictures, until the well is frozen so you have no water, or toilet, and the oil tank is almost empty and it will be £500 to fill it up (IF the tanker can get down the lane), and you can't get across the ice to the barn to chop the wood for the fires. And that's only 9 miles from us!

So my poor little friend was really down and I could not cheer her up. I think everyone here is holding their breath and hoping for a decent spring to get things going again - and a brilliant, sunny, hot, long summer to get things back on track!

Yours (from a soggy, wet, and still frozen fell)

P XXXX

www.princesskitten.co.uk