Finally, after nearly two weeks of being snowed in, we managed to get the car out yesterday for a shopping trip to Tesco's in Bangor! Not much of a reward for our fortitude, you might think, but a lot better than a two hour slog with rucksacs to the local Co-Op, and it felt very good to able to get about again. We've also been helped out by neighbours with 4x4s who delivered essential supplies and collected letters for us from the Post Office in Penygroes, at least until a fresh fall of snow blown into deep drifts by a strong wind made the lane impassable even to quad bikes. Some of the smallholders up on the mountain have been unable to open the field gates to get to their animals, which has meant a lot of hard work for them manhandling feed across fields and over stone walls. By comparison, we have had an easy time of it and have been able to appreciate the beauty of the snow-covered hills on those days when we were able to get out for a walk in the crisp, clear winter weather. But now a couple of days of relatively warm weather and some heavy rain has cleared the majority of the snow almost as quickly as it arrived.

And of course we have been caught out again just like we were last year. I seem to have a knack of ordering a delivery of fuel oil just before the snow arrives, but at least this year we haven't had to get emergency supplies delivered on the back of a pick-up. As long as we don't get heavy rain followed by a rapid freeze we should have a delivery early next week, and that should get us through to the spring. Next year we really must get ourselves properly organised, and that will probably have to include investing in a small 4x4, if we can find a good second-hand one that is reasonably economical and reliable. (A RAV4 looks favourite, or possibly a Subaru...)

When we moved to the area we were told that we could expect to see very little snow because of our proximity to the sea. Tell that to those people working on the Snowdon caffi last winter, who were still using excavators to clear the snow from the train tracks in April to get building materials up to the site. I even remember reading newspaper articles not so very long ago which suggested that Snowdon would have to be re-named (for English speakers at least) as it had been many years since any significant amount of snow had fallen. Is this what we can expect from global warming, then? I'm not even sure what kind of climate we have any more: Temperate Monsoon perhaps? or Just Plain Wet? Let's hope for for that long-promised "barbecue summer" in 2010!!

In the meantime here are a few photos we've taken in the last couple of weeks.

Looking towards Nebo from Cae Mawr.

The track up to the house.

The ruins of Maen-y-gaseg (our favourite ruin), and Garnedd Goch.

Looking towards Cwm Silyn and the Nantlle Ridge.

View of Snowdon and Mynydd Mawr from the Penygroes/Llanllyfni roundabout (pity about the power lines).

Snow drifts before the thaw.

Nickie's puppy Dulyn is king of the castle.