It is snowing all morning, and after breakfast Freya cannot wait to get back outside.
“Poppy!” she calls, tugging on her boots. “Let’s build a snowman!”
Poppy catches the excitement in Freya’s voice and dashes into the garden, her paws kicking up flurries of snow. Freya pulls on her woolly gloves and begins rolling a snowball across the ground, watching it grow bigger and rounder.
“This will be the snowman’s body,” she explains.
Poppy wags her tail so hard that she knocks a chunk of snow off the snowball.
“Oh, silly Poppy! You’re helping the wrong way!” Freya laughs.
Poppy wags even harder, knocking more snow loose, so Freya starts again. This time she sends Poppy off to fetch a stick. Soon she has stacked three snowballs, one on top of the other.
“Poppy, we need arms,” she says. “Where’s your stick?”
Poppy trots back proudly with a stick in her mouth. But it has now been well and truly chewed, so Freya sets off with Poppy to find some more.
Freya finds two perfect sticks and fits them into the snowman. Then she hurries into the kitchen for a carrot.
Carefully, she presses the carrot into the snowman’s face. But as she presses it in, the main part breaks off and drops to the ground.
Before Freya can say, “Leave it, Poppy!” Poppy snatches it up and runs off with her prize.
“Hey, Poppy!” Freya calls, half laughing, half annoyed. “That was his nose!”
Across the garden, she hears the crunch-crunch-crunch of Poppy eating the carrot.
“Oh, well, Mr Snowman. You will just have to have a little stubby nose.” Freya grins.
After finishing her carrot, Poppy trots back, licking her lips and looking around eagerly to see if there might be more.
“You really are a vacuum cleaner,” Freya tells her with a smile. “Snap — and the food’s gone!”
“Now we need a scarf.”
Freya finds a red scarf she has outgrown and tries to wrap it round the snowman’s neck. But Poppy thinks the fluttering scarf is the best toy ever. She grabs one end and tears off across the garden, looking back to make sure Freya is chasing her.
But Freya only laughs. When Poppy finally bounds back with the scarf, Freya strokes her gently.
“Good girl, Poppy, bringing it back.”
She takes the scarf from Poppy and winds it round the snowman’s neck.
Then she gives Poppy a cuddle.
“You’re annoying and helpful all at once,” she says warmly. “But I’d rather have a snowman with just a little nose than build one without you.”
Poppy wags her tail happily.
Together they admire their masterpiece before heading inside for a well-earned hot chocolate for Freya — and a chewy treat for Poppy, far tastier even than the carrot.
