I woke this morning at 5 am to the tiny wee sounds of…

Tap tap (pause) tap tap (pause)…….. A Mouse… Then tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap (no pause). Mice! Plural.. Eek.. 

 I love all little creatures and try my best not to kill any of them. But mice in my bedroom is more than I can take. I understand their problem.. It’s cold outside (-5C) and they don’t want to be cold, but even my feet don’t want to be on my bedroom floor. The heat from the kitchen wood stove runs cool long before it gets as far as our bedroom and the floor is damp and cold. I leave my slippers by the fire in the kitchen at night because if I leave them beside my bed they will be unpleasant to wear.

When our daughter went to University in Ontario my mother, who grew up in Ontario winters of -40 suggested I send her a pair of silk long underwear. We were moving here so I bought a pair for myself. They have been a godsend on cold winter mornings especially if we are out on the boat. The silk long underwear along with a fur covered hot water bottle are two of the great essentials of winter on this island.

At 9pm when Ians medication reminder goes off, I put the kettle on for my hot water bottle. When it is filled and tucked snugly in my down covered bed I run no risk of a moments chill when I drop my jeans and dive under the covers. I often think of the poem of Santas arrival down the chimney and think E should complete our picture with a flannel sleeping cap.

I have given up on Amazon shopping for stocking stuffers so we are heading into town this morning to do some Christmas shopping and grab a few groceries. The sky is clear and the waters expected to be calm, but it is cold out there.

We have one more week staying here at SoHo and then we return to our tiny, yet warm and cozy wee house on the cliff. In truth, I can hardly wait. We have made no progress on our long list of chores and I grow tired of seeing all of my worldly belongings piled in green garbage bags by our bed. I have no idea where most of my clothes are and I have given up trying to find my silk long underwear. I’m thinking our first stop in town should

 be ladies lingerie.