Clara Hughes!!

overcast, mild, blustery, temps plus 2

Oh dear - we might be losing all the magnificent snow we had yesterday. About two feet of the stuff. Gorgeous. Anthony's back, doing some more shoveling. It's such fun - there's so much of it that walking out our back door is like walking into a snow fort - with high, carved walls of snow on either side. There was so much snow we couldn't see our car...it was buried.

But then, unexpectedly, Michael came and said we had to go into the village - to the post office. Something needed to arrive at the government by Monday. Fortunately Tony had already dug the car out so we all just brushed it off, and we headed into town.

Honestly - thank God for all wheel drive, and snow tired. The plow had been by in the last hour, but only one swing, so our road was one lane wide. Had we met any other demented people on it we'd have had a bit of a problem. But no one, as it turns out, was quite as nuts as us.

We got to and from the post office just fine. Even climbing the very big series of hill to our home. We're pretty much on a plateau snuggled on the top of some mountains, but between a few higher ones. It will be snowing at our place but rain in the village. And we can see the temperature (as measured by our car, which is clearly smarter than we are - now that would be a good game show. Are You Smarter Than Your Car? the answer is, no.) but you can see the temperature drop as we climb the hills to our home.

it was actually quite fun - except it mean the almost inconceivable...I had to leave the couch by the fireplace.

I saw Clara Hughes win bronze. What a remarkable woman - indeed person - she is! You know she's won SIX olympic medals...most in speed skating, but one in the Summer Olympics in biking. And she works hard for others - raising huge amounts for a cause called 'Right to Play' - for children in developing nations. Lovely woman.

I cannot believe we've never actually met. She's been training in Vancouver for the past 18 months, but still - before that...even in the IGA for groceries. You'd have thought... I must send her a congratulatory note. And when she gets back see if we can't get together for a coffee...though I suspect she'll be very busy.

We also watched Canada defeat (easily) the Russians in hockey. They looked a different team than the one that lost to the US on Sunday night. So - we're still in it. Tonight it's the women's long programme in skating. Go Joannie! And that delightful young American...Flatt is her name? Actually, though I really will be cheering Joannie, I have to say for the most part I just love seeing all their performances. Such poise under unbearable pressure. Can you imagine standing alone at centre ice in the Olympics in that silence before the music begins.

Wow.

Having a quiet day. Fine-tuning the newsletter...answering Michel's questions about the french translation for Dead Cold/A Fatal Grace. Doing bits and pieces. Trying to really clear the decks before starting to write book 7. hard to believe I'm actually at book 7.

In answering some of Michel's translation issues I needed to go back to Dead cold/A Fatal Grace. Always afraid when I do that I'll hate the book - be embarrassed by it. But, you know, I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. A huge relief. One day, perhaps when I'm 90, I will sit by the fire and re-read all the books (all 45 of them). I look forward to the day I can do that. Right now I can't re-read a book already published. Bits and pieces, yes...but not the whole thing.

But, when the time comes that I have the time and distance to do it - and my internal critic had died and gone to Hell - I will pour a cafe au lait, get a croissant and read. And remember this amazing, blessed, glorious time in my life. When I have Michael and this lovely career.

In the meantime - forward!