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Hello, Elle!
There were ice skaters on the ponds here a few weeks ago.
And I remember bonspiels (curling matches) on the ponds when I was growing up.
My father told me of 8ft snow drifts, and this article says there were 23ft drifts in the Highlands!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_of_1946%E2%80%9347_in_the_United_Kingdom

Certainly seems to have been severe!

Hi, Rusty!
I have just read the Wikipedia reference that you sent.
My goodness, those were certainly severe Winters, back then.
Oh dear! and nowadays we are complaining when we experience a (comparative) few inches of snow.
A dog fell through the ice on one of the lakes in the park .......
Luckily it is not very deep water.....
His owner had to break the ice, and then wade in to rescue him!
My Canadian friend tells tells me they are in a deep freeze and it is minus 35C overnight!
She is going skiing again this week!

Good morning, Elle!
A fine frosty morning here.
Minus 35C is really cold!
I have been out and about earlier today.
Got one or two tasks to complete, yet.

Good morning, Rusty!
Yes, it was frosty and cold here, too, when I was out walking, but it is fast warming up now.
And the sky is blue...and the sun shining!
According to our local forecast, we have one more day like this before the temperatures revert to the seasonal average.
Ah well, it was good while it lasted!
I have finished my chores for today....
I am now going to take look at the crossword...….

Good afternoon, Elle!
Super day here!
Just in from the Nature Trail.
No horses today.
Think the girls will all be at school.
Was a good puzzle today.
16d and 19d are new to me.

Hi, Rusty!
Yes, a nice puzzle......
I could see some of the answers without needing to parse first , which made it easier.
I managed to do all the parses afterwards though!
There are two clues, though, which cross each other, and have me stumped.
19d: Game bird stuffed with cooking apples , originally (6)
?I???T
23a: Non alcoholic drink looked at after recovery? (5)
D???F
I am completely stuck here?
My favourite is 3d: "Winchester rifle".
And 24a was a bit spooky , wasn't it - "on thin ice" - coming on top of our discussion yesterday about bad weather conditions back in the 1940s?
Right... time for a walk......
The dog is getting restless.......she thinks I have forgotten to take her out!
(as though I would do that!)

Hello, Elle!
Well done on what you have achieved!
I liked the one about Tooting, and the Winchester rifle was a good one too.
Now, 19d, is a "game" called "tipcat" (never heard of it!)
The bird is a "tit" with first letters of "p"roper, "c"ooking, "a"pples, inside "tit".
23a is "faced"/looked at, reversed, giving "decaf".
Why the setter has "non alcoholic" I have no idea!
Yes, off for your walk, get some Vitamin D!
Or is it too early in the year, yet?

Hi, Rusty!
I am home for the rest of the day now!
It was extremely warm out - no coats needed!
Incredible weather for February!
I'm not sure about getting Vitamin D from sunshine?
I think the optimum period is from around the end of March till September.... but I don't think it works if sunscreen is applied.
I remember reading an article not so long ago about the return of rickets in young children.......because parents were overdoing it with the sunscreen.
I guess one has to go for a happy medium?
I would never have got either of those clues!
Thank you for your help...
.I would still be thinking about them till the proverbial cows come home!

Good evening, Elle!
I think you are correct in your time scale for Vitamin D in the sun.
And noon is best time of day.
I've read that ten minutes is plenty.
You did well with your puzzle today.
It was not an easy one!

Good evening, Rusty!
I think that the amount of vitamin D that one can absorb also depends on one's skin colour.
People with darker skin tones will need to spend longer in the sun to produce the same amount of Vitamin D as someone with lighter skin.
But there are always Vitamin D supplements to take, should one not have enough access to sunshine.
I am hazy though on the "ins-ands -outs"!
I shall look it up on Google later.
I am going for my MOT annual blood tests tomorrow.... so have to "fast" from 8pm onwards.......and only water to drink!
I'm going to grab a quick cup of coffee whilst I still can!