Make your own entertainment

There is a saying here in Minnesota. Possibly. That if it is cold enough to hammer in a nail with a banana you left in the garage all night, then it is quite likely that it is too cold to go outside. Didn't stop us hardy Brits though - right upto the moment we piled into a ski-shop to buy more clothes (T was happy - boots to press all the buttons of a 5 year old. Purple. With fur).

It was another weekend of demented racing around, determined to make the most of the sun-shine, whilst, at the same time, hoping to find the time to squeeze in yet another cup of tea somewhere warm.

The top photo is off the sledding club's day-out. We're not members, but felt the need to gate-crash. Even a locked gate at the golf-club didn't keep us out, so we yomped over the back-way. Once there, though, people were very nice, and T got to sit on a horse, although we didn't get a chance to go on a sled. They took it rather seriously from their bear-skin coats, down to their cat-skin boots.

First time I've looked at a fur coat, and not a single studenty thought entered my head except, 'Mmmmm, toasty'.

Here we went to the Centennial lakes for a skate. I used a sledge to lean on, so I didn't make too much of an idiot of myself, plus it was handy when T's feet started to get cold (after about 5 mins). Still pretty impressive skating on actual water though.

We also tried to go to the ice-harvesting - where they show hardy souls how the ice was cut out from he lakes for the ice-houses, and for moving around the state. It was a bit too pricey, so instead we played in an igloo on one of the smaller lakes nearby.

Finally we went to see some of the winter festival in St Paul - the ice-carving (below) and the snow-sculpturing. It was excellent - even a treasure hunt in the snow for the littlies (though I was tussling with some seven-year-olds).

I have stunned the other mothers at T's school by professing that we are getting rid of our cable this week. "But....what will you do?". It's a boring fact that with the cost, and the fact that we only watch Top Gear, Gordon Ramsey and the Back Yardigans, there's no point, really....however, we have already received a call from Comcast letting us know we can have the Cable and Internet package for $10 a month less than what we are paying for Internet access now.

Let's play hardball!