Sunday 10 February 2013

On the Farm.

First things first - the dinner went well and the beef was cooked well.   Rib is one of the better cuts and for once I followed an Aga recipe exactly both for which shelf to put it on and how long to leave it.   We had Yorkshire puddings with it and roast and new potatoes, along with mixed vegetables.   For pudding we had a mixed fruit crumble - and then cheese and biscuits.   We have just eaten up the left overs for lunch today.  Lovely laughs and chats afterwards too.

Today the weather is awful, cold, sleet/snow and breezy.   Not the kind of weather to persuade you to put your nose out of the door.  The farmer was just right with his work this week.

During the awful gales of a couple of months ago the wind brought down a mature alder tree in our little wood.   A couple of days ago the farmer went off with his chain saw and spent the day sawing it into chunks and piling them on to his trailer and bring them back home into the shed.   Yesterday he sawed the chunks into manageable logs for the stove and stacked them up to dry.

Although we still have a dry wood pile we do have to remind ourselves that we are really only half way through Winter and we don't want to run out of wood, so this stack of drying wood is quite comforting.   And the farmer got it in just right - before this wet weather set in.

Maybe we will get more snow.   It is forecast for the high Pennines and we are really in the lower slopes, so it is anybody's guess.   What is for sure though is that we shall not be able to compete with the Eastern States of America, where some places have had three feet of snow.

Our wood burner is lit and burning merrily and I can just see the farmer's slippers sticking out in front of it if I turn in my computer chair.   Tess is laid out in front of it, full of offcuts from that joint of Beef rib.  Looks as if all's right with the world.  

17 comments:

Rachel Phillips said...

Glad the beef was all right.
Today East Anglia is bitterly cold with a biting east wind. I got up at 6 and lit both woodburners but even so the east facing half of the house with nothing but fields between it and Siberia is cold and lots of layers of clothes are required. My farmer complained this morning that the kitchen was cold when he got up at 8 and proceeded to have his breakfast in his coat and hat!

mrsnesbitt said...

Cold here too Pat and Bing is also flat out asleep after his lunch. He has Puppy Athletic now you know lol!
Cheese and biscuits - my downfall! lol!

rkbsnana said...

Such a pleasant post and sounds like a lovely evening. Stay in and stay warm

Country Gal said...

Cold here but the sun is shining , wood stove going and preparing a roast of pork for supper with roast potatoes and mixed veggies YUMMY ! I love the cracklings hehe ! We have a roast every Sunday a tradition I grew up with as my mum and dad were British . Oh yes slippers a must in this old farm house floors are cold ! Thanks for sharing , have a good day !

Angie said...

So glad the meal went well ...sounds fantastic and I love mixed fruit crumbles too. You paint a wonderful picture of your life ...thank you for sharing.

angryparsnip said...


The dinner sounds lovely.
One Christmas many years ago I made a Prime Rib roast and Yorkshire Pudding in the pan. I am not sure if it was correct but it was fun to try and it tasted wonderful.

How smart of your farmer to read the weather right and get chores done before the weather set in.

cheers, parsnip

John Going Gently said...

There is nothing better than a wood burner and a sleeping dog

A said...

Sounds peaceful and lovely all around, but I wish I could send some of the nice weather we're having over here to you!

Hill Top Post said...

Your lovely post leaves no doubt that "all's right with the world." For sure, we wouldn't want every day to be windy and cold with snow and sleet, but aren't such days quite wonderful now and then?

Thickethouse.wordpress said...

Happy to hear your sense of safety and contentment and togetherness! Northeast Ohio has snow, but we managed to miss the blizzard and that's quite fine with me!

Heather said...

I can just imagine your cosy domestic scene - very fitting for a horrid cold wet day.
I wouldn't like to say 'I told you so' about the beef joint but, I told you so! It sounds as if the evening was perfect.
It's always good to have plenty of firewood when we never know what our weather is going to do.

Pondside said...

You paint a very cosy picture, Pat. I hope the snow storm passes you by so that you can get out and enjoy the outdoors in the coming week.

JoAnn ( Scene Through My Eyes) said...

It is always nice to know a dinner party came off well. I hope you stay warm and cozy on those blustery nights. I am glad we are on the west coast and not the east coast, they certainly have had the snow and cold.

George said...

Glad to know all is well in your part of the world, and may you be spared the snow my fellow Americans are experiencing in New England.

Dominic Rivron said...

The alder tree - so that's what kept the weight down.

Dave King said...

Sobering thought that: we're only half way through winter!
Still, keep these warm posts coming, and we'll soon be through it.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Seems we are almost all experiencing cold weather (unless we are in Australia, in which case they are basking in warm sun). Thanks for calling in spite of the weather.