Apsley Cherry-Garrad described the sleeping bags in his book 'The worst journey in the world', first published in 1922:

Discuss the potential psychological impact of living in or visiting Antarctica. Consider the climate, and also the amount of daylight during the two seasons — summer and winter. The ponies roam free throughout the year over the 200 square kilometres of the Carneddau mountains and plateau. It’s the highest contiguous area of high ground in Wales and England, with seven peaks that break 3,000 feet (914 meters) above sea level. It makes up roughly 10% of Snowdonia National Park. Of all the semi-feral pony populations in the U.K., the unassuming Carneddau ponies are arguably the closest to being truly wild—but are perhaps also the least well known and least celebrated. The Exmoor ponies, by contrast, are front and centre in the marketing materials for Exmoor National Park; there are Exmoor Wildlife Safaris to visit them, an Exmoor Pony Centre and even an Exmoor Pony Festival.

Corradi left shortly after the album's release and he was replaced by Kevin Bass. Ex- Curve and ex- Echobelly member Debbie Smith joined on guitar before the band went on tour. I look at their long multi-layered winter coats and admire nature’s clever design. None of these ponies lost weight, shivered or actually got wet in the long Shetland winter. The many layers of fur trap the warm air between their skin and the snow acts as insulation. The ponies instinctively turn their bums into the wind and bad weather. The Icelandic horses do it too. It is just something they know to how to do. The sense of connectedness between the ponies, the farmers and these mountains is perhaps something more felt than seen. The Welsh have a word ‘cynefin’ which perhaps best captures it. Cynefin has no direct English translation. But it encapsulates a deep personal connection to place—and a sense of belonging to that environment. When we got into our sleeping-bags, if we were fortunate, we became warm enough during the night to thaw the ice: part remained in our clothes, part passed into the skins of the bags … and soon both were sheets of armour-plate'.

This thoughtful, well-written novel would be an excellent comfort to any young reader dealing with the frailty of life. The fact that I found myself standing in the narrator's shoes, becoming him, learning to live with his loss and finding hope, is a testament to Cynthia Cotten's skill as a writer. I enjoyed this gem of a story very much. SUMMARY: The girls Dikki and Dalli live with their grandmother who breeds Shetlands and Icelandic ponies on her own stud farm. The girls are tomboys and are embarking on a 'toughening up' campaign which involves plenty of fresh air and cold water! When they hear a cousin of theirs is coming to stay, they think because of his name - Ethelbert - he will be a super tough Viking type. But when he arrives he is something of a drip who is a hypochondriac, and worse still he looks down his nose at the shaggy little ponies on the farm, not considering them real horses. It looks like the girls and their cousin will never get on until Ethelbert falls in love with a tiny Shetland foal who desperately needs his help. Snow Pony” displays how Engerbretson is continuously learning and pushing herself in the mountains. “Learning a whole new skill is hard, but having fun while struggling is an easier way to deal with frustrating situations,” says Engerbretson.Here it comes! cool drops splash down, scattering the grown-ups. But the children love romping in the rain, until--BOOM!