So much has happened over the past few days that I am having difficulty in recalling details of the events. Needless to say, this festive season has been remarkable, with so many people coming to the monastery and the weather holding out splendidly. Today felt colder but we had no snow, although neighbouring Abbotsford did have some snow flakes floating gently in the air. I attempted to tease Father Moses by telling him that there was snow lying on the sidewalks in town, but he immediately knew that I was only joking because it was just coarse salt. We did see some beautiful heather in town, pinkish purple in colour that looked out of place in winter, although this is precisely when they bloom. Our neighbour hired someone to cut down a few of the weak trees on her property and she also asked if a few of our maples could be trimmed along the driveway. This is necessary in case of another devasting storm. Our dear friends from Virginia sent us a huge cake, but not the kind you might imagine. It must weigh ten pounds and originated in Spain. Dried figs and almonds are compressed into a cake that is unbelievably delicious, that is, if you like dried figs and almonds, making this cake not only scrumptious, but also nutritious.