Snow - beautiful yet cruel

We didn't have a white Christmas and we were talking about having a mild winter, except for a week during early Dec when having snow.  As I always leave driving in the snow to JL, I was saying I hope the snow won't arrive when he's in the hospital. And low and behold, the snow arrived the day he went to hospital for his operation.  I had to brave the daily drive to the hospital.  The fact that we have watched a French movie just before, that started off with a serious bus accident on a snowy road and ended with the minister being in a serious accident as the car in which he was travelling lost control on an icy road, didn't help much to ease my nerves. Especially as these accidents in the dvd happened in our region.
I've spend my days in the hospital to avoid driving up and down, just having to brave the slippery road to have lunch at the restaurant across the street. Regretting that we still haven't bought me snow shoes. Despite a few times that I was close to sliding, I've managed to have a 'fall free' record.  The snow continued, being ice rain at times.
The Sunday, exactly a week after we've been watching the dvd, we had a 'black' Sunday.  It was impossible to go on the road without taking a major risk. The roads were full of ice and with less cars on the road even more dangerous.  After a few calls between me and JL and watching the weather in hope for an improvement, we have decided he'll have to spend the day alone without a visitor.
The Monday arrived and I had to remove the snow and ice in front of the car to be able to open the gate and to not risk sliding the car against the walls. Fortunately JL reminded me that we do have a spade, as I have realised the broom that I've been using up until then to remove the snow from car will be of no aid to remove the ice. For an hour I've battled to remove the hard ice and snow, realising I haven't spend much time in a gym the past three years as it took me almost a week to recover...
Fortunately JL came home the next day.
A few days later my one friend in the village told me to take care on the road, as a couple living in a village close to ours have lost their son. He went out with friends for the evening and the car slided on the ice (we have many curves in the narrow country roads following the curves of the Montagne de Reims) and rolled into the vineyards where the car was well hidden. And it was the parents to find their son the next morning.  Events like this make you even more careful and even though one admires the beauty, one does wish that the snowy season will pass very quickly. 
We had snow up until this week, but I think that was the last. I am grateful we ddin't have an accident or broke a leg.
I've managed to take some photo's although I regret that it wasn't possible to take a photo of the village between the phare and the moulin as it was a beautiful picture (but no spot to park and take a photo).

We were fortunate to have some sunshine in between, although when entering the village next to us, behind the moulin, Mailly had no sign of sunshine, only fog

The road in Verzenay bordering the vineyards at the bottom of the village:

I was greatful it wasn't me who has to deliver the post...(you can see the poor lady walking in the snowy street and on the right at the bottom of the steep path leading to more vineyards is the little 'pram' in which she transports the post)

The road linking Verzenay with the main road in the valley:

You might ask why this strange photo below - to show you how much more effective the slate is, the tile roofs were all still covered by snow while this one is already clear on the top:

Our disastrous fig harvest visible on the tree...

The view from the guest room (too cold and icy to open the window, so you can see the ice on the window on the bottom of the photo - and hardly a view of the forest)