Thursday 10 November 2016

Thursday

Cold and just below freezing overnight but now around four degrees, bright sunshine and a cold breeze.   In fact (from inside by the fire) it is a pleasant day and the snow is gradually going.

The woodburner is glowing brightly and as the doors are all open (inside doors of course) and our farmhouse faces due South, so gets any sun that is going, the house is warming up nicely.   And the snow is beginnning to go in earnest.   Apparently it was quite a localised snowfall - just a strip down the centre of the country.

There is a distinct feeling over here that already the implications of the American election are beginning to fade.   For sure, it is a democratic country - they have chosen and democracy dictates that we accept it - like it or not.

Today I visit the hairdresser and that is all.   And as it is only a mile down the road that is no hardship.   The farmer has to go the the dentist just before that.

He is giving our cattle hay to eat as they spend an awful lot of time wandering round the field looking for something to eat.   These are cattle being grown on for beef and even several days without access to the plentiful supply of grass in the pastures is enough for the weight to begin to drop away (and of course they are sold by weight).   So last evening (after they had followed Tess and the farmer up the field on their walk)  he went back with a couple of bales of hay.   It had all gone this morning, so a couple more bales have been take up and the farmer they belong to has been rung with the suggestion he fetch then back and fatten them indoors.

The sheep, on the other hand, don't want anything to do with hay, or pellets thank you - they know quite well how to scratch the snow away and get at the grass and seem quite happy in their fur coats.

My quilt is finished and will be pressed this morning.   Then I shall make a shopping list (which will include two balls of white baby wool
for my next project) ready to shop tomorrow for our friends P and D coming over from The Lakes for the week-end.  (an apple crumble is already in the freezer for lunch).

Keep warm everyone.   And to my friends in the US - bear up and I am sure we all send you our best wishes for the next few years.

20 comments:

Sue said...

Gosh it sounds as though you have posh sheep if they are all wearing fur coats ... ours just wear woolly jumpers ;-)

I love reading about the quiet rhythm of your day. We have glorious sunshine at the moment here so I stepped out with a couple of sheets to put on the washing line, not realising that we also have the finest of fine rains falling too, and a beautiful rainbow has just appeared crossing our valley and lighting up the sky. Oh well, they are now draped over the airer near the Aga and will dry almost as well indoors.

Tom Stephenson said...

Sounds cosy!

Linda Metcalf said...

I was almost sick over the election....we will see what the next four years bring. Can't wait for a tiny bit of snow here.

Rachel Phillips said...

Lots of Christmas shoppers out in earnest today as I sit watching the world go by in my lunch hour. Similarly relaxing to your day.

Elizabeth said...

Thanks, Weaver,
Yes, I have calmed down a bit.
Trump is perfectly awful - but won't be able to do a quarter of the
things he said.
Keep warm!

Gwil W said...

Trump is not a politician, he's a man who likes closing big deals. His election bluster is only his opening gambit. He'll settle somewhere in the middle. That's the way he thinks. It's all a sales pitch. When he empties the swamp things will improve in America. Have a nice day ya' all.

Derek Faulkner said...

Gawd, not more USA Election crap, much prefer reading Pat's tales of the farm, so much more important.

Frances said...

Pat, good to know that wood burner is keeping you cosy...having the sun back is always so pleasant after a snowfall.

Do keep us posted on whether the hungry cows get re-moved.

xo

Heather said...

Sunshine and showers here today and not quite as cold, but we did have frost a couple of days ago. No snow yet, and so often we get none at all. Sensible sheep but poor cows, though they'll be cosy if they are taken undercover.
After the initial panic I daresay our lives may not be much changed by the new President of the USA.
It is definitely the fireside and knitting time of year - I am making socks at present.

donna baker said...

Thank you Pat. We will be licking our wounds for a while, and then sit back and enjoy his daily screw-ups. The emperor will have no clothes. Imagine Trump as your King and that will help you understand how half of Americans feel. My daughter called yesterday and asked what we were going to do? Move to Patagonia, I said. I am sitting this early morning in the cold; my hands and feet at least. Haven't turned on the heater yet, but it got into the mid-thirties last night. We heat with propane at the farm and it is expensive, so I always wait to turn the heat on. That will end tonight when my husband gets home as he is cold intolerant.

Simon Douglas Thompson said...

We had a frost today, and a sharper one tonight, but it won't stop me getting out as long as the wind doesn't get too silly.

angryparsnip said...

I love the rhythm of your life with the different days of the seasons.

cheers, parsnip

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thanks to you all who have replied so far. It seems that we are beginning to get things into proportion politcally although I head on the news that there are a lot of protests.

Gwil - you still haven;t told me how to leave a reply on your site.

Librarian said...

People in my immediate enviroment - friends, family, colleagues - are mostly of the same opinion about Trump, but there are also two or three who think the opposite. Thankfully, these two or three are sensible enough to not start an argument with the majority of the others, but keep their political opinion largely to themselves. I don't like such arguments, especially not over lunch at the canteen; we can't do anything about it, the U.S. voters have voted, and our politicians now shall sort out the consequences.

Still no snow here, but it was very wet and windy all day which is why my friend and I decided against a run after work.

Yorkshire Pudding said...

You live a wholesome, uncomplaining life Mrs Weaver, happy with your lot. Many troubled, restless folk out there could learn a lot from your example.

Terry and Linda said...

SNOW! WOW! That is early, or not. It would be early here. Although, October 31st is when we usually see our weather change. Not this year, we are having a very long fall...which I am loving.

Enjoy your fire...its the best part of winter.

Linda

Gwil W said...


Pat, sorry, I should have told you that my main blog is now http://www.zenmyass.blogspot.com (and you can leave replies there!) So you have to add that to your blog list or go via Poet in Residence and click on the link to zenmyass there.

It's inky the Poet-in-Residence blog where you can no longer leave replies - that's due to some technical and other persistent issues I had with it which forced me to finally close the reply facility there.

Hope all that's clear. Hope it helps.

Gwil W said...

I don't know where "inky" came from. Sometimes my fingers go faster than my brain :)

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thanks everyone. As you all predict - things are settling down again.

Jocelyn is Canadian Needle Nana said...

Well American politics is always so much more interesting than ours here in Canada. Our politicians seem pretty tame and sedate and perhaps a little bit dull. Anyway, love your crocheted squares...nice colours.