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Good morning, Elle!
No snow, or wind, but cold with a hard frost.
Beautiful day, though!
I am home for the day, too.
Very few in ASDA today.
You will be looking forward to seeing your son!
Hope you have a nice time!

Hi, Rusty!
You are very lucky with your beautiful day...at the moment we have settled in to heavy rain!
Mind you, I am just thankful there is no snow!
I think the Midlands might well be forecast snow over the next few days .....
I hope it will not affect our elder daughter and family travelling down here on Friday or Saturday.
Still, no point in worrying at this stage, about something that might never happen!
I have just printed out my crossword puzzles, having finished my household chores.
I should have about an hour before our son arrives....I shall see how far I can get.....
I'm very slow!

Hello, Elle!
I am content with the hard frost, blue skies, and no snow....yet!
I hope the roads are clear for your daughter travelling South at the weekend.
Not sure of your forecast?
Today's puzzle was used in the Championship final.
I found it fairly tricky, but have got there.
8d is a very odd one.
I put in what I think fits, but not too chuffed with the setter on that one, but probably it is something that I can't twig!

Hi, Rusty!
I am only about half way through the puzzle but I have done 8d!
I have
Hathaway = wife left bed (def)
(Shakespeare left his wife his second- best bed in his Will!)
H - hours
at
h - hotel
away - getting out
Does this make sense to you?
Son should be here shortly.....I am looking forward to seeing him!

Heaven's above, Elle!
However did you know about Shakespeare's bequests?
I am mightily impressed!
Your parse is fine with me!
I had Hathaway but could not fathom why.
I knew she had something to do with Shakespeare but did not know they were wed, or about the bed!
That is specialist knowledge!
Jings, as they say up here!
Yes, enjoy your time with your son!

Hi, Rusty!
Ah well, you see...
There is an American actress by the same name as Shakespeare's wife, Anne Hathaway.
I first saw the actress in the film "One Day" by David Nichols.
It is a great film - wonderful correlation between book and film........
( I must have mentioned this before? it is quite a fetish of mine!)
Anyway, because of the identical name , I looked up both actress and Shakespeare's wife, afterwards!
I was amused by Shakespeare 's only leaving his wife the "second -best" bed!
(I wonder what happened to the "best" bed?)
No sign - nor word - of our son yet....?

Hello, Elle!
Ah, it becomes clearer!
But does the esteemed setter expect us to know about Shakespeare's beds and wills?
Mind you, it was used in the final, so all top notch solvers there!
Hope your son turns up.
Roads may be busy though.

Hi, Rusty!
Well, no word from our son.......it is odd that he hasn't phoned or texted if he has been held up, or is no longer coming......especially as it was only yesterday that he arranged this, so not much chance of his forgetting in the meantime!
I have sent him a text...but he could be either working...or has overslept!
Meanwhile, elder daughter has rung.
They were on their way back from her sister-in-law's, but found the M1 closed because of snow!
They are finally home now, to find six or seven inches of snow surrounding their house!
Yes, it was a good crossword!
But I am stuck on my last one....
22d: Lonely type getting up behind Chinese people (6)
?R?H?N
I have no ideas?

Hello, Elle.
Strange about your son not arriving as planned?
Hope things are OK.
Seems to be quite a bit of snow in the Midlands.
22, I have "orphan" but am not over the Moon with it.
The Chinese folk are "Han", and "orp or pro reversed" is a bit of a mystery.
An orphan would not necessarily be lonely?
One meaning of orphan is "club-line, qv" whatever that means?
That is the best I can do, Elle.
Not very satisfactory, though!

Han was a Chinese dynasty and, I think, a name given to some Chinese people today.

I think we were taught about the second-best bed in school, or perhaps when I went round Anne Hathaway's cottage in Stratford as a teenager. I've always wondered if it was an insult, like being left a shilling, but it turns out he left his house to his daughter Susannah and his best bed would have stayed with that. The bequest of the bed was added only a short time (9 months) before Shakespeare actually died.