Snow worry ..our beasts have eats
The “Beast from the East” arrived on cue, but forewarned is forearmed so nothing is coming to any harm in these grim conditions.
All the animals have food and shelter – although whether they choose to take refuge in the barns is their choice.
Veteran pony Little Joe decided that, with a wind chill of –16 and a full-on blizzard, it was an ideal time to go outside.
The other horses passed him on their way into the stables.
Lots of snow has fallen but this in itself isn’t a problem. We can use a quad bike, tractor or if need be a horse to get around on the farm.
But the wind has caused enormous drifts that cover walls and bury the ghylls and gutters, which makes getting to the sheep treacherous.
It’s for this reason we make small bales of hay in the summer that can be carried on your back when going to tend to your flock on foot. Or, as this week, on your hands and knees…
Yes, the drifts were so deep I ditched the bike and crawled, pushing a bag of feed in front of me, to prevent myself sinking past my waist.
The snow’s too deep for sledging and skiing so the children have taken to drift jumping, doing handstands and setting off avalanches.
While I’ve marvelled at the beauty of the snow formations, it’s been a physically hard week.
I’m grateful to my loyal, hardworking sheepdogs, who are never afraid to turn out and face the storm.