The weather outside is frightful

As always at this time of year, at Homeward, the snows come. But the weather is even more fierce than usual. It has snowed everyday and huge drifts of snow surround Homeward - as much as thirty feet deep in places. The roads and railways leading in and out of my castle are impassable. Apparently, the King of the Badgers is short of funds again and cannot afford to send out the gritters or snow ploughs. Too embarrassed to ask me for a loan knowing that I have so many calls on my generosity during the festive season. The inhabitants of Homeward are well provisioned though; as usual I have gathered a great stock of food for Christmas. The Badfort Crowd had been forced ever higher to escape the snowdrifts that have burst through the shabby windows of Badfort. It reachs just below the walls of their fortress and they are all crammed into the tiny turrets. They have been reduced to dismantling sections to burn, in order to keep themselves warm, as blizzards rage around their sadly reduced home. It is a catastrophe! However much it pains me to say so, I need the Badfort Crowd if my adaptation of 'A Christmas Carol' is to go ahead at my annual Christmas Party. We have only one rehearsal to go! I have told Cowgill to prepare his tunnelling machine. The tunnelling machine is a clever device invented by Cowgill, that has many round circular blades at the front which cut through the earth at remarkable speed. It had last been used to thwart an attempt by the Badfort Crowd to raid my Treasury. How ironic that I am now using it to rescue Beaver Hateman!