I got a hen that lays amazing chocolates. Antonia got a bell and a Kinder egg. Little Rabbit is pretending she brought them, but really it was Mike. Antonia hid the eggs for the hunt out in the snow. A little while later our guests arrived bearing more eggs. Mysteriously, by the evening, there was hardly a crumb of chocolate left in the house.

We all embraced the late winter conditions in our own ways. I was busy cooking and hanging out. The kids were outside building igloos – all except Antonia, who preferred to snuggle down by the fire with an adult friend and draw flower pictures.