Unsurprisingly there is a theme running through all current doings, on account of the fact that it hasn't stopped snowing since Monday night. I had to take a view on Tuesday morning since the trains were best described as erratic. Delays and cancellations - ugh - so stayed home. I can't afford to be stranded away from home. At least we got a consignment of hay safely ensconced in the hay barn on Monday night - poor Knickers got roped in to help Mark and had just finished humping 50 bales as I got home from work. Good timing I thought.
Monday night: onset of snow; close off the summer paddocks; boys now only have access to winter paddocks. Had to up the ruggage in view of the Taters Factor of 10. Struggling to leave the girls unrugged; may have to bow to the intrinsic need to wrap them up.
Tuesday: snow. Working from home. Documentation for the most part, interspersed only by a dodgy moment during which I almost set fire to the house, all because I didn't put the grate part of the wood burner back together before starting a fire. Open doors to chuck in more wood; wallop. Logs fall out onto carpet. Result: one singed carpet; one very smoky room and a coughing Rach. Ack.
Ministering to creatures in the snow takes twice as long as it would ordinarily, but at least we could get it done during daylight hours.
Wednesday: usual 5:30 start: more snow. Trains: chaotic. Stay put. Start work 7am. No point going back to bed really. I enjoy being snowed in, with the proviso that there is sufficient food in for all the creatures. Also, it meant that I was at home when Bob came to deliver our two new charges, Nadja and Grace the ex-MoD goats. Ahhhh. Instructed to conduct introductions in a large space, we let them all out on the yard and would have stood back to watch were it not for a variety of bovids milling about among us, determined to conduct operations from behind someone's legs. This is all very well but a bit squeaky bum when there are horns involved and you're not quite sure how goat intros tend to go. Things went pretty well; predictably Angie took charge but generally speaking a good first encounter. Best bit was when I went off to get the hose to do waters and the three of them followed me to the garden :) I've become accustomed to being followed about by one goat, but three was something else again.
It hasn't stopped snowing at all and taking ages as a consequence to do the creatures. Alfama is coping well but Xacra has dropped a bit of weight, so keeping an eye on her. We decided to lay beds last night about 8pm just in case we have to bring them in. This involved relocating all the fencing and other tools that we stored in the remaining two spare stables through thick snow, and humping multiple bales of bedding. I wonder sometimes is we are quite mad, but it's there should we need it.
So we have nine stables and no spares left. How does that work? T in one, grooming room, rug room, Q, Angie, Nadja and Grace, the chickens, emergency stables for Xacra and Alfama. Eventually the goat stables will be freed up but not until this cold snap is over and they can go out in the field, and make use of the much anticipated shelter. Pheel (uber farmer and builder of Things) has been to inspect said shelter and gave us an 8/10 for effort, so we are thrilled. We got extra points for nailing on the onduline roof correctly.
And finally, we've had a trailer load (and I do mean a large trailer attached to a tractor type of load) of wood delivered to help keep us goingg through the winter.
Thursday: 7am and snowed in again. No trains going to London. Deep snow outside. Glands up and the beginnings of some unpleasantness. I think this is because I have stepped off the treadmill for a few days and wallop.
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