David made several visits to California, which she much enjoyed, but her health began to fail. Because her legs had been troublesome for some time, she suffered a succession of falls which resulted in several spells in hospital. She became increasingly reclusive but, despite spending periods in bed at home, she continued to work on "Ice and Ices". She realised that she would not be able to finish the work, and asked Norman to complete it for her. It was published in 1994, under the title "Harvest of the Cold Months".