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Saturday 3 March 2018

Skating in the snow

Inspired by the Winter Olympics and Dancing on Ice, the toddlers Edmund and Louisa have been practising their skating at a local rink.  However snowfall on the first 3 days of spring meant winter returned to the garden and with the pond frozen, they were keen to try skating outdoors.

Miranda and Timothy tested the ice first as Edmund and Louisa watched
"It seems strong enough" said Timothy
The pond was too small for much moving about but they could do a spin together
Gingerly the toddlers ventured onto the ice
The bigger children encouraged them as they started to slide across the ice
"You're doing fine Louisa" said Florence as Edmund watched
Soon they had more confidence that the ice wouldn't crack and the bank wasn't far away if they slipped over
The other children cheered them on as they skated about
Florence and Timothy joined the toddlers on the ice, though it was crowded on the small pond
Nicolas James fetched the sleigh
"Does anyone want a ride?" Nicholas James and Trendon Elliott called to the busy skaters
Louisa's legs were tired and she was keen to have a ride in the sleigh

The boys dragged the sleigh with Laura walking alongside as they went to explore the snowy wastes
The intrepid explorers set off with tired Louisa enjoying the ride
Louisa waved as the boys pulled hard through the deep snow and Laura trudged beside the sleigh
It was hard work and the boys were feeling warm despite the cold air so they didn't make the journey very long before they were pulling the sleigh back to the pond

Edmund continued practising his skating for a little longer before they all went indoors for hot chocolate and biscuits
*****

We planned this photo story as soon as we knew there was snow on the way.  We don't have a pond but that didn't stop us from inventing one from something which was normally quite hot!

The pond was actually a cast iron barbeque plate from a portable unit - it is a large round hotplate to go above the gas flames.  I laid it on the patio, made sure it was level and poured water on it which froze.  When it snowed we had to sweep the snow off it (about 2.5 inches overnight this morning after previous snowfall of about 2 inches) then watered it carefully again which froze quickly (the thaw hadn't quite started).  The doll skates did make marks on it though I didn't take close up photos to show this.

The 'pond' during the thaw later in the day
As anyone who has a Sasha toddler knows, they are notoriously hard to pose and with skates on in the snow there was an added difficulty, especially as we didn't want to spoil the snow close to where they were standing for the various parts of the story - we had to reach over untouched snow as far as possible without falling on our noses!

My younger girl was a willing helper, getting the dolls in position, moving them and attempting to get them standing and brushing the snow off when they fell over.

Setting up a sleigh shot






11 comments:

Julie said...

What a wonderful way to spend an afternoon. Thanks for sharing it.

Sasha's Vintage Boutique said...

very clever with the pond! It's fun to see some "behind the scenes" shots! You all make it look easy but it is clearly not!

DollMum said...

It was a good way to spend the late morning/early afternoon before the thaw really got going in earnest (snow slushy in the afternoon). It isn't easy doing this kind of thing but is always fun. We usually have some plan for the story line but the dolls and circumstances (like big holes in snow where you don't want them) do tend to mean the plan gets adjusted a bit. Having a willing helper is a big bonus and makes it more fun (luckily she still enjoys collaborating on our doll stuff).

Anonymous said...

Brilliant pics and story Dollmum and DMD. Great way to make a rare occasion blog and get to use props that can be rarely used also. Love the idea for the pond also. Xxx Sue

Dee said...


How brave your children were to venture outside in the very cold and snowy weather, to try their hand at ice skating on the thoughtfully provided pond.
The snow is a wonderful setting for our dolls adventures. Well done for making use of it.

Gregor Daddies said...

Bravo to you and your daughter for the wonderful pictures! It's never easy putting that many dolls "into play" outside at one time, and you did it in the snow as well. The pond was a brilliant idea, and they no doubt got perfect scores on their beautiful attire.
Steve

Kendal said...

I FULLY APPRECIATE just how much time, thought and effort has gone into this outstanding SNOWY blogpost. It is a work of art, as I know from the past, not to get your own footprints showing up in the photos. I think this is why I failed in going out with my Sasha Dolls into the snow last week with my Arthritic limbs being in such a state as I'd be unable to get up again without a strong person's assistance...perhaps I could loan the help of your youngest daughter the next time?
It also looks like you had way more snow down there than we did up here and I love how warmly they are all dressed... NOT to forget mentioning their darling little ice skates!
A million thanks for this great Sasha snow post/fix.

NeverUschi said...

Your clever pond making trick fooled me! It looks so real in the photos, even though the skating marks are not showing.
My Sasha kids do own a sled, but they are envious anyway, as yours is particularly pretty - and larger than ours! Bravo on the boys to pull the heavy thing through the high snow drifts. They earned themselves an XXL hot chocolate.

Sharon said...

What a great little story! And the photos are lovely, very realistic, the kids obviously enjoyed their time on the ice. I enjoyed seeing the 'behind the scenes' shot too and how you set it all up. Very good!

SimplySasha said...

Wonderful post, very well done! I do love toddlers as you know...even good ones like your two :)

Ginger said...

A wonderful post and the ice rink is so very clever. I admire your daughter’s perseverance and yours too. A most enjoyable story and colorful photos. Thank you. 😊 xxx