A Year in Stempster

More snow fell during the night, filling in more of our footsteps. The water in all the animals' bowls and waterers was all frozen and had to be chipped away with a small wooden post that was the first thing I found. The chickens are not impressed by the snow, still, and I left them shut in their coop. When I went out in early afternoon, they were all in their house so I put their food, corn and water inside and shut them in for the night. There was thunder and lightning forecast for later, and closing the ramp door would stop the snow from blowing in anyway. The poorly quail was bleeding again, and his feet were red raw. Jude and I put him in a cat carrier in the garage. It's still chilly in the garage but he'll not get any snow, and there shouldn't be the draft. For the others, I draped some weed fabric over their hutch. They still have a small area where they can see out but it should help stop the drafts. When Ginny and I were just finishing with the chickens and qu...

 There had been more snow in the night, filling in the footprints like in The Children of Green Knowe. The wind was bitterly cold and blowing the snow in drifts. It took a while for the gritter to come down the hill and up again to reach us. Most of the roads in Caithness are closed and Caithness itself is now only accessible by boat. The drifts had piled up against the stone wall to the sheep field. The sheep themselves were huddled in a line beside the wood, having found the most shelter the field offered, when we went for our Intrepid Adventure down the road. We got caught out in another blizzard when it was impossible to see the road. Icicles have started forming around the house, one large icicle dangling near the porch door, and several smaller specimens hanging from the eaves of the boiler room. There is a spider's web in the corner of the eaves, and two small icicles danging from the threads of the web. It shows how strong the silk is! The snow is building up on the roof, p...

 The year began with a grey mist. When I went into the bathroom to brush my teeth, I could half see Lythmore on the other side of the valley, but it was covered in a translucent curtain of sleet and rain. The wind had been wild in the night and, when I went to let the chickens out, I found that the top gate had been blown open. The chickens stayed close to me, unbothered by eating, but just wanted the reassurance and comfort. The wind has continued all day, and the snow has been ever present, sometimes falling as hail, other times as thick, fluffy snowflakes. It hasn't settled much, though there is a thin dusting, surprising as it has been snowing most of the day. Perhaps it is being blown away as soon as it nears the ground! One of my female quail has hurt her eye. I'm unsure how it happened, but imagine she has been in a bit of a fight with another one. I am concerned, but I can't bathe it in salt water while it is so close to her eye. Ouch! I think tomorrow will see more...

  The BBC usually refuse to accept that snow exists, so often it's a surprise when we wake up to a snowy scene. Given that they are forecasting multiple snow showers, coupled with high winds over the coming days, it must be going to be fairly deep! Stempster is made up of lots of roofs, all going in interesting directions. The result is an exciting looking building, but also that there are multiple slopes around the house. This means that, if the snow is too deep, an avalanche is deposited from the roof onto the floor, causing an alarming sound as it slides down. Any plants that are in the way of the avalanche are squashed beyond recognition. So, in the event that the BBC actually admits to a snowstorm on the way, the wisest thing to do is move any pots of plants away from a roof slope. While this is easy for small pots like the 15cm jobs for the Meditation Garden, a wooden raised trough full of compost is a different matter. As soon as we tried to move it, one of the legs split an...