Friday 12 December 2014

Magic or what?

Getting up in the night and looking out of the window was to see a magical world.   Snow was falling, it was still and silent and all the fields, walls and hedges were covered with icing. 

At day break, as the sun rose it came up into an almost clear blue sky.  The temperature was just above freezing so that the roads and footpaths were not slippery and it really was a lovely day.

It is market day in our little town and the Christmas tree stall was doing a roaring trade, as was the greengrocer.  Our meeting for coffee (a group of us meet every Friday) was, as usual, a jolly affair.

But by afternoon the sky had gone from that lovely deep blue to a pale, icy blue.   The wind has risen and the ice was back.  It is really not a nice day at all.   The trouble is that after such a mild winter up here in the Yorkshire Dales last year, we are just not accustomed to it.   Say this to the farmer and he will tell you tales of when the snow was wall-height and they were having to dig the sheep out.

I have just been into town again and coming back I must say that I looked at the sheep, digging into the covering of snow to get at the grass, and marvelled at how hardy these Swaledale sheep are.   This morning they have had a pedicure and antibiotic where necessary and all have had a drench against fluke.   They would not survive indoors, however much we feel like bringing them in and keeping them warm; they are bred for wintry conditions.

The weather forecast says it will gradually get warmer over the weekend.   Well, it can't come soon enough for me.   The only thing that keeps me cheerful is that if I lived in Norway it would be dark as well.

24 comments:

Balisha said...

You described a day that we are experiencing too. Love your sheep with their black and white faces....I had to google them to find out more about the breed.
Have a cozy day inside....
Balisha

Joanne Noragon said...

It has been grey all week, with the occasional cardinal.

Mary said...

Pat, what a lovely day you experienced despite the changeable weather pattern - a bit of everything I think. We have that darned sun blazing down non-stop again - not a glint of a snowflake yet - and although very cold early morning it soon warms up and is about 56F right now. We're raking and blowing leaves AGAIN - they're still raining down from the mighty oaks!

Love sheep in the fields - always reminds me of home and childhood - though in Devon we probably didn't have Swaledales.

Happy weekend - watch for the ice when you're outside, the farmer too! Don't need any falls.
Hugs - Mary

Joanne Noragon said...

Dear Pat of the sheepy Christmas card, this is a test. On my previous post I went from typing straight to "Publish your Comment," completely overlooking proving I'm not a robot. My comment published. I'm about to try it again.

Joanne Noragon said...

And, it published. I'm off to test my theory that a piece of useless code has crept in.

jinxxxygirl said...

My dear Weaver you should write a book. Your art of describing things is wonderful.

It rained ALL day here yesterday and we ended up with about 2.3 inches of rain. Quite a huge amount for this area.....Places north of us received much more...some places reporting 14 inches!!! You would not believe how badly it is needed.... We dry out for a couple days then more rain expected early next week!Stay warm! Hugs! deb

Twiggy said...

I envy your snow, we expected it but it didn't come. I was working today and it was so funny at lunchtime, I heard lots of excitable squealing, looked through the staff room window. There were a few snow flurries and lots of excitable red faced children spinning round, squealing and trying to catch the snowflakes, it did make me smile :)
Twiggy

angryparsnip said...

I would love to see the Farmer digging out the sheep while the sheep are saying what for ?
Just toss us a few yummy things to eat.
We are just the opposite of you. An early storm is hitting the west coast today and we will be getting some rain Saturday. Really January weather but we will welcome the much needed rain!

cheers, parsnip

Heather said...

I hate dark gloomy winter days and can't wait for signs of spring! We are lucky down here and usually miss the worst of any extreme weather.
It is worth looking out of the window sometimes in the middle of the night but I wouldn't get out of bed specially!

Share my Garden said...

How I enjoyed reading today's post, I can see it all clearly in my head! We haven't been able to visit 'home', the Yorkshire Dales, for months so I always turn to your post for a weather report. Your misty header photo is beautiful.

John "By Stargoose And Hanglands" said...

If you lived down here in the south of England it would be wet, grey and gloomy! Like you I'm always amazed at how tough and adaptable sheep are.

JoAnn ( Scene Through My Eyes) said...

It is good the sheep are so well taken care of, especially since they must live outdoors. A good farmer knows his animals. We have clouds and sun breaks - warmish and at last the winds have stopped and our 6 inches of rain is filling the rivers and lakes.

Penny said...

Well Weaver I read this out to my farmer as he sits eating breakfast with a blue sky and sea behind him, he just said uhum knowing well that farmers lives are never easy, although we don't have snow to contend with, drought, fires and flies are more Loke it a day wretched foxes who this year ate tongues and ears off new born calves. BUT today we are on holidays in the most relaxing place in the world.

Cloudia said...

ALOHA from Honolulu
ComfortSpiral
<3

Cro Magnon said...

If you look out tonight, from about midnight to 3am, you might see a huge meteor shower. Of course it needs a clear sky!

Acornmoon said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Acornmoon said...

I enjoy reading your blog and have learned much more about farm and country life than ever I did listening to The Archers. I think they should take you on as script writer

Elizabeth said...

So well described!

Linda Metcalf said...

I believe it was sixty years ago that we had a 56" snow and at that time I was much smaller so it was up over my head. My dad was working away from home so my uncle had to walk over to ours and dig us a path and bring bread and milk for my mom and we little ones. It was amazing and I was so happy. I love snow. I always feel for our animals but as you say they are used to it.

Jayview said...

I do love the way snow transforms our landscapes. It very seldom happens here in the Melbourne suburbs though I do remember it once from sixty years ago. We've have to travel to the mountains an hour and a half away or up to the Victorian alps for cross- country skiing. I always thought Elizabeth Gouge's biography had a great title - 'The Joy of the Snow'! Jean

Judy said...

I don't know Swaledale sheep. I know Shropshire and Sufflock--we had those on the farm here in Michigan.

Gwil W said...

The weather is almost spring-like. They it will continue to be so as far ahead as they predict. Last year we had no winter worth mentioning. This time could be the same.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Love Twiggy's comment about the children being excited by the snowfall. At what age does this begin to be transformed into dread of snow? Probably when on realises that to fall over in it is to possibly break a limb! Thanks for calling in.

Terry and Linda said...

It's very cold here...wet but no snow.

Linda
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