Monday 3 December 2012

Winter had arrived.

Winter had arrived this morning.   When the farmer drew back the curtains at 6.30am it was thick fog.   When the fog cleared, as it did by seven o'clock, it revealed an inch of snow.

As always I switched the electric blanket on, sat up in bed to drink my morning cup of tea and waited for the farmer to arrive back from collecting the papers.  When I see his car lights on the bay window I take it as a signal to get up.   This morning the lights stopped in the gateway and I thought he must be talking to someone.

Oh yes he was, he told me when I came downstairs!   He was talking to himself in not very polite terms as the gateway was slippery and he had hit the gate post.

Now the sun is shining and although it is cold the snow is disappearing quickly.   I love to see the snow but I hate going out if it is slippery as I am scared of falling and breaking something.   Last year the farmer bought me some things to clip on the bottom of my shoes to stop slipping.   I shall be getting them out shortly.

There are dozens of birds at the bird table.   Food is in short supply this year as there are few berries and most of the seeds have gone.  So a plea, if you live in the U K - please put out extra food, particularly fat (they love Atora beef suet), to help them to survive.   Kate Humble in yesterday's Guardian also advised cleaning out any bird boxes and putting some hay or shavings in the bottom so that little birds could perhaps use these to shelter in at night.   Keep warm!   

13 comments:

jill said...

Oh no Pat hope your car is not damaged to much,I have put extra food out for the birds this morning poor little things.Keep warm hope the snow isnt going to come just yet not too much anyway.XX

Pondside said...

I hope this doesn't mean you're going to have a hard winter in the UK - especially after the flooding you've all endured.
I like the photo you posted. It is like having a glimpse of your world, from over your shoulder.

MorningAJ said...

I trust the Farmer's OK and wasn't hurt in the prang.

Did the spiky things work? I hate icy conditions and become almost a recluse when winter comes. If there was something I could use to give me more confidence I'd be grateful.

Heather said...

We always put extra food out for the birds in winter and have already cleaned out the next boxes. Hope the car wasn't damaged and that neither you or the farmer slip on any ice. I am nervous of going out in wintry conditions and the beautiful scene in your photo is definitely best admired from inside a warm window!

John Going Gently said...

oh Lord.....
is this what we have in store for us over here soon?

Lisa said...

A White Christmas, perhaps? Sorry to hear about the car. Your morning ritual sounds like a great way to start the day - thanks for the photo to complete the picture!

dindin said...

I am 7o yoa and working in Alaska. I was terrified of falling and the clip on things drove me nuts so I ordered some 'YAKTRAC'S'. They are great and really easy to use and i never fell after i got those.

Shirley said...

From one extreme to the other. Here in Brisbane today we are going to reach around 39 degrees C, we don't get many days quite so hot but it is quite uncomfortable. The prediction is that from tomorrow it is going to drop back to more normal temperatures around 30 degrees C. So Pat send us a little cold over here for the day:)

Titus said...

We had two inches this morning, and though it rained mid-morning we've still got a good covering.

Roads treacherous - postvan slithered into the wall of the caravan site just down the road, and two friends had small bumps too, so the farmer's not the only one.

Ah, rising to a cup of tea in bed with the electric blanket switched on. That sounds perfect Weaver, and do take care this winter.

Pamela Terry and Edward said...

I do so love a winter's sky.
You describe a cold morning just perfectly.
xo,
p

angryparsnip said...

I can't believe your weather. First no summer, all the rain and now snow.
Goodness and I was saying just yesterday it is too warm in Tucson. Great for all the winter visitors but, it was 81 yikes. A beautiful day but we need to be in the low 70's.
Hope the car is OK.
How are your hedgehogs and he little one you adopted ?

cheers, parsnip

Anonymous said...

I know conditions are hazardous there Pat, but it makes for a very pretty picture at the end of your post, particularly from an Australian's point of view.

The Weaver of Grass said...

AJ asks if the spiky things on my feet worked. The answer is that it came warm the day after the farmer bought them for me, so I don't know. But I'll let you know the first time I wear them.

Parsnip asks the fate of the little hedgehog. I am afraid that the farmer found him dead in the hay about a fortnight ago. We did our best to feed him up and kept hiom somewhere warm but it was not enough. Sad.

Nice to meet you Dindin. I went to your blog but as you have not posted since August I didn't leave a comment - but I would love to hear about your life.