The ascent of the 2023 snowpile

Our visitors were the first outside this morning, though I was heading for The Red House, cup of tea in hand, as they emerged to play. The first game was climbing to the top of the snow heap, formed where our snow-clearing neighbour pushes the snow from our drive.
We played outside for an hour or two. First we started to build a large snow-lady, then Isaac tunneled under the snow lady!. Eventually we retreated inside for lunch.
Having a 3 year-old and a 9 month-old as part of our extended family certainly adds a new element to our daily lives!
Later in the day Jan and Isaac headed for the shop, Eleanor held the fort with the 2 little ones, and I started digging to see what could be salvaged from the collapsed kayak tent.
3 hours later I'd done a lot of digging and rescued life-jackets, shoes, tools, paddles, and shade tents from beneath the snow.  The kayaks are still in place, but now turned upside down so they don't fill with snow.
We knew the material had degraded and that next summer we would have to replace the tent fabric, but we misjudged and while we were in England over Christmas a big fall of wet snow crashed the fabric!
However, I feel very happy that a collapsed kayak tent is my biggest problem. Many others have far worse to deal with.