Christmas Eve dawned sunny but cold at our Bolehill cottages near Bakewell (see here).  With our friends arriving for lunch we had a few hours for some last minute jobs and were joined for coffee by our neighbours from Haddon Grove Holiday Cottages.   Friends arrived just after midday and we went down to Bakewell.  It was quite busy but we were able to eat at the Upstairs Cafe.  Back home for a quiet afternoon and evening when we enjoyed a takeaway. Christmas Day again dawned sunny and cold, just how I like Christmas Day.  After breakfast and lunch preparations the men walked down to the Lathkil with the dogs and I drove round with friend after we had put the dinner on. Nice to say Merry Xmas to some of the villagers.  The men walked back and we enjoyed a late roast beef lunch and a quiet end to the day.  On Boxing Day we decided to go down to Bakewell to see the hunt set off.  It had been a number of years since we had last seen it leave Bakewell.  It used to leave from the square by the Co-Op but in recent years it has left from the Agricultural Centre.  We thought we would have coffee first only to fine the hunt had set off earlier than expected so we missed it. So we had a wander around the shops and along the river before home  for a late lunch.  We had been monitoring the weather forecast since Christmas Eve as snow had appeared in the forecast for late Boxing Day. Our friends had planned to stay with us until Saturday morning but as the forecast worsened we all thought it best they headed off home before the snow arrived.  They set off just as the rain turned to snow, earlier than forecast but luckily they got home without any problems.  One of the cottages due to depart on Saturday thought they would leave before the snow arrived as well.  Another cottage were heading to Buxton to see the Pantomime but we persuaded them not to. We did a walk down and back up the drive to salt it but at the end of the night the forecast 2-3inches was nearer six inches and we heard of many problems on the roads in the area.  As I did not get any pictures of the hunt here are some photos from the Christmas Tree festival at Bakewell Church.