Especially when young, many of us dream of a white Christmas.
The last memorable ones for us in London were in the early 1980s, when
Matthew and Becky built a festive snowman in the Gracedale Road garden;
and, in 1986 Matthew pushed Sam and Louisa scrunching over the icy snow wrapped in warm clothes and a blanket,
and later for a sledge ride over Tooting Common’s frozen lake. Click on any image to access the enlarged gallery.
This afternoon I read more of ‘Gentian Hill’.
For dinner this evening we finished Jackie’s delicious chicken curry and savoury rice, with which I drank Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2022.
Great memories.
Thank you very much, Catherine
yes great memories.
Thank you very much, Zakiah
I love these happy family photos! Interesting hat on the snowman. He seems to be enjoying a libation of some sort.
And a pipe. Thanks very much, Liz
You’re welcome, Derrick.
A magical white Christmas filled with happy memories <3
Thank you so much, Rosaliene XX
The kids are lucky to have such wonderful memories of sledding and playing in the snow and on the lake, oh to be a child again! 🙏🏻❤️😊🏴
Beautiful memories! Beautiful photos! 🙂
And thank you for sharing…you’ve brought back some of my own sweet winter memories! 🙂
That snowman has a lot of character! 🙂
(((HUGS))) ❤️❤️
Much appreciated, Carolyn. I suspect it is based on someone 🙂 XX
🙂 Indeed! I wondered about that. 🙂
I love your old photos. Beautiful memories Derrick.🥰
The thought of a white Christmas is magical. We have certainly been imprinted in desiring that picture-perfect Christmas for all the winter European stories. A White Christmas by the fire with snow falling outside may not be everyone’s dream, but it is mine!
Glad to read that you are enjoying an Australian red wine! Seasons Greetings.
Thank you very much, Amanda. Your good wishes reciprocated
Gorgeous pictures and a terrific example of brotherly helpfulness.❄️❄️❄️
Indeed
Terrific pictures and examples of brotherly devotion.
Thank you very much, Pat. I’m glad you picked that up. Louisa described Mat as “the best big brother ever”
What a lovely compliment, comment. Bet you miss him every day.
Mat is still with us. It is Michael who isn’t – and yes, I do.
It feels as though it snowed a lot more when our children were young than it does now, but that may just be a trick of an ageing memory.
I was surprised to see how many snow shots I had in the 80s. Thanks very much, Tootlepedal
Precious photos.
Thank you very much, Dolly
You are very welcome, Derrick.
The cold is not as much fun as it used to be. Now I have to keep moving and wear a lot of layers. Still, snow is magical! Thanks for the memories. 🙂
Much appreciated, JoAnna
A white Christmas is beautiful. I remember walking to the Christmas market in Germany in 2017. There was snow and the Christmas tree in the town centre looked magical.
Thank you very much, Lakshmi
Christmas in the Northern hemisphere is a totally different event from the Southern hemisphere
It sure is. Thanks very much, Sylvie
Those are beautiful memories of Christmas! I remember frozen ponds, shoveling off the snow and skating on them way back when, growing up in New England. Hot chocolate, too.
Tank you very much, Lavinia
Such beautiful memories of white Christmases in London! I can picture the fun of sledging over the frozen lake. It sounds like you had a cozy evening too, finishing up Jackie’s chicken curry with a nice glass of wine.
The snow is here (not sure if it stays)…
Thank you very much, Ilze
Yes, I always wanted a white Christmas, but rarely got one. Back home, we normally got our snow in January.
Thanks very much, GP
I can recall going cross-country skiing in Richmond Park – sadly no photographic evidence
Thanks very much, Sheree
Gloriously white Christmas made shinier with happiness of the revellers. Aren’t we thankful to Messers Nicéphore Niépce and Louis Daguerre!
We are indeed, Uma. Thank you so much
Beautiful memories. The snowman’s bottle and pipe amused me, and how sweet Matt was to push his siblings around in the snow.
Thank you very much, Merril. As Louisa said, he was “the best big brother ever”.
<3
Wonderful memories.
Thank you very much, Andy
You’re welcome.
I love these photos. Thank you Knight
Much appreciated, Flow
Wonderful memories!
Thanks very much, Sue