Rain, rain, go away

And it has. Unfortunately, to be replaced by snow. 

A first dose of real winter on an upland farm: trudging through drifts several feet deep, head down into the blizzard, still dark, dragging an old cake bag of hay behind. Needless to say, surrounded by wide-eyed and joyous dogs. 

So far, the quad bike can still make it to most places, despite a few exciting moments as it grounds in the deeper snow. Failing all else, we can use the tractor to take bales of hay out to the girls – precious little grass is visible, even under the hedges, so we're on to emergency rations. The ewes on the higher ground were brought down early last week in preparation, leaving the moor-side field abandoned to the ravens. 

Rams enjoying a tasty snack

Snow-wear adds an extra layer to the already numerous items of clothing (like Russian dolls, from inner vest, T-shirt, fleece and jumper to outer coat). Add snood, balaclava or hat, and gloves. Then in the pockets: keys, phone, knife, baling twine, lighter, torch, notebook, pencil, dog leads and lip-salve…with whatever assorted junk has been picked up over the last few days, including at the last inventory: black plastic, an old ear tag, a random bolt, and a broken 'tine' from the hay bob. No poaching pheasants for me – there just isn't room in the coat. 

Ian M sports the latest farm chic

The upside of this weather is that the landscapes are beautiful - and with appropriate gear, walking the fields and moor is a breath of fresh air (literally). However, if we get much more, I may be singing a very different tune later in the month.