Road-testing in the snow with Three [French] Hens!

I believe the snow has hit most of us around the by now, and this weekend Cornwall was no exception. Yesterday I couldn’t get into work, or rather I couldn’t leave my house because of the silly-soft-stuff, as I recall Thomas the Tank Engine once saying. Fortunately I had all the equipment to work from home, and that included a great friend who I could call upon to help me “road test” some Celtic Sheepskin boots in the snow. Walking to her house I managed to avoid all the rogue snowballs, and took the above photograph as I got closer to her home. The beauty of Cornwall in the snow, even in a rural setting was quite breath taking. The drive to work this morning, with snow still covering farmland and treetops was certainly worth driving slow for. I feel very lucky to live where I do right now.

So to the road-test, or rather garden test. House bound we decided to step out into Ellie’s garden each wearing a pair of Celtic Boots. Ellie wore a pair of our Knee High Popper Boots in black and I wore my tall Gum Boots in dark brown.

So Ellie set to opening up the cage of her the three hens (very apt for this season wouldn’t you agree!), who had graciously laid an egg overnight for Ellie. A little wearily, each chicken stepped out onto the snow for the first time –and they needed quite a lot of coercing out from their snuggly warm house. Perhaps they were jealous of our warm boots? ;-)

As you would expect, Ellie’s feet were kept nice and warm in the snow, and no water seeped through. The boots themselves aren’t waterproof as they are hand-stitched together and of course the sides can also be “popped” open. But for the task of keeping Ellie well-balanced on the slippery soft stuff and staying warm, Ellie gave them top marks.

Then came Ellie’s turn to point that camera at me (the bit I’m not so keen on, but I did need to show willing!). Along with my Gum Boots, I had also set out in my Cabra Jacket and Driving Gloves. Usually my jacket is kept for special occasions, but I knew it would keep me extremely warm and I couldn’t help myself!

The Gum Boots are of course totally waterproof, and because I usually spend my time in Celt Sheepskin Boots my feet feel the cold through normal shoes very quickly. This includes our Gum Boots, despite them being cotton fleece lined. So I now add a pair of sheepskin insoles and my toes were kept very warm yesterday, and my feet extremely dry. My Driving Gloves have been in use for the past month, and were purchased many years ago and have lasted extremely well. As they’re made in black I find them perfect for matching with all my coats –and I own a few. All in all, I was kept very warm and completely dry all day yesterday. Although I should admit to wearing two pairs of leggings!

And then there was the third model in our mix, and the reason why Ellie was house bound – the beautiful Sophie Howell-Round. I mentioned her birth on this blog about a month ago, and she’s still as dainty as ever, but clever too. For just as those hens enjoyed their nice warm bed, so did Sophie. Thanks to the help of another Celtic Sheepskin product –the Infant Fleece. We aren’t jealous of your cosy state at all Sophie. Honestly!