winter lows and highs

stellabean
stellabean Member Posts: 307

As I trudge every morning up a track to medicate and feed the 2 horses and 3 pet lambs( now nearly 10 yrs old and I still call them to feed as pet lambs makes the tourists look twice!) I wonder if I am going to make it up the hill with the flask of hot water in my rucksack and my crutches slipping on the ice and thinking how fed up I am with the snow and ice which has been down since Christmas eve. Waiting at the gate are the 2 neddies Sandy tries to whinny but he can't he had an op 18 yrs ago to save his life and now he has no voice so he head tosses and squeaks. Morris gives me a gentle whicker and kicks the gate a few times as in his mind I am late as usual it is barely light.

I have made it the water trough is covered in 3 inches of ice and I get to the feed store to find the sugar beet I soaked yesterday frozen into a solid block on ice and nearly break my fingers on it, all the buckets are frozen and the water in the feed store is covered with ice. Eventually the feeds are made Sandy has nearly yanked the door off it's hingers waiting and I trudge out to put their buckets down. The view from the field to the village in the valley below is incredible and the snow I hated a couple of minutes ago looks great. The best is to come I love sliding the hay bale down from the stack and sliding it out in a dumpy bag the snow make this easier and breaking it open so the smells of summer surround me and for a brief second it feels like summer , the meadow hay is ready for the sheep and horses.Tomorrow we do it all over again and more snow is forecast if it is enough my hubby will get the snowblower out to clear a path up the track which will help us and those who live in the hamlet.

the other lovely thing is we have a barn owl using the barn we are starting to find owl pellets on the hay stack so are planning on making an owl box.

Comments

  • Jewels
    Jewels Member Posts: 202

    Wow Stella bean that is a great piece of writing and shows no matter how we are feeling because of arthritis we can still appreciate the beautiful things that are around us. Reading that makes me want to come and see your great pets enjoy every day if you can with the weather we're having at the moment I just about made it to my local shop today without slipping on the ice with my crutches but still enjoy walking that little bit every day

  • stellabean
    stellabean Member Posts: 307

    We have had 3 more inches of snow so Hubby has been out clearing the paths with the snow blower he is always so disappointed when there isn't enough to use it and he has to use the shovel instead. Some of our neighbours have asked if they can give the horses treats I have said yes but no polos or sweet things as Sandy is on a special diet. They are going to walk to the field each afternoon and help to keep the water trough clear of ice which is such a help.I will try to get a photo in the morning of the boys and the snow. The walk to the village this morning was interesting as some people had cleared their paths and drives and dumped the snow onto the footpath why don't they put it on their gardens to melt .

  • frogmorton
    frogmorton Member Posts: 29,332

    Hello @stellabean

    I absolutely LOVED reading that. So heartening and made me want to be out there with you early and in the cold.

    We have had almost constant snow here, but I don't have a snow blower although many yeas ago one was used regularly to clear the lane and the driver (unfamiliar with using it) allowed the snow to blow out of the wrong side and it blew in one of my neighbour's windows!

    Please please do get us some pics it would be wonderful to see everything!

    Oh you can buy snow spikes to go over the ferrules on your crutches did you know?

  • Lilymary
    Lilymary Member Posts: 1,740

    That was a welcome tonic @stellabean , thank you. It does sound like a heroic effort on your part, well done. I'm looking forward to the photos too!

  • Jewels
    Jewels Member Posts: 202

    Yh great can't wait to see them and its nice you have people offering to help 😁

  • stellabean
    stellabean Member Posts: 307

    Here are the pet lambs my friend rescued from going for meat they are part of our conservation grazing on the hay field which is in the top 90% of hay meadows.

  • stellabean
    stellabean Member Posts: 307

    The village is in the distance I must say the track up to the field was so icy today but the sun is shining so there will be some melting going on then tomorrow may be even worse the spikes for my boots are ready and waiting. The horses refused to pose today and demanded breakfast indoors today. I will post an old one from 2 yrs ago.

  • stellabean
    stellabean Member Posts: 307

    Morris is the dark one he is 18 yrs old and has sarcoid cancer and Sandy is 31 and has a pituitary tumour the vet says they are doing fantastically well.

  • Jewels
    Jewels Member Posts: 202

    Aww that's good the view is amazing I know now why no matter what. you do that walk its worth every step to see what's waiting for you at the end thankyou for the pictures xx

  • Brynmor
    Brynmor Member Posts: 1,755

    Brilliant! 😀

  • frogmorton
    frogmorton Member Posts: 29,332

    Oh @stellabean

    It looks lovely! Really very worth the stagger up there. Get those spikey boots out please the last thing you need is to fall. It reminds me so much of our village, but we are flat very flat which is useful for me.

    Do the sheep have names?

    Years ago we used to have a lady on here called @skezier she was lovely and had several sheep all rescued and horses too. She used to call them her 'employers'! That and rescue dogs and cats. You two would have got on well.

    She once travelled all the way from Cornwall to Scotland to rescue one via our house and on the way back the lamb stayed in our house how mad is that?!

    Do take care stellabean - what a wonderful life you have🙂

  • stellabean
    stellabean Member Posts: 307

    They are called Mathew, Luke and Mark, John died last year after being attacked by a dog. We picked them up from Cumbria about 60 miles away and they travelled in the back of our land rover defender. they caused quite a stir staring out of the windows at cars we past. Not one of them pooped either.

    I have had loads of rescue horses over the years I once bought 7 ponies at a sale that were going for meat some were found homes straight away others were so poorly they took months and in one case a year to nurse back to health ( my mother went spare!).But it was all worth it and I have so many lovely memories of them. One used to join the local dairy farmer's herd when he called them in to be milked and he would get fed along with the cows the farmer had a real soft spot for him! He eventually went to be a pony for a disabled child and had a wonderful home.

    I haven't been able to ride since 1999 and at first I really missed it as I had started riding at 3 yrs. But I was advised to keep Sandy and have just enjoyed caring for him and his friend Morris ( my 80 yr old friend owns him)

  • Lilymary
    Lilymary Member Posts: 1,740

    Beautiful pictures Stellabean, and lovely furry/woolly family! I do love Herdie's, so sad to hear what happened to John though. That must have been devastating, and so avoidable if people would just manage their dogs property.

    You've made a big difference to the lives of so many animals, what a joy to give them a happy loving life.

    xx

  • frogmorton
    frogmorton Member Posts: 29,332

    Yes you are 100% as 'bad' as skezier!

    A good person 🙂

    Lovely stories so sorry to hear about John being hurt that's dreadfully sad😥

    It's a shame you can't ride now, but just being with animals is enough I hope for you. Lovely story about the pony who went in for milking and his happy ending too.

    Today for us the snow has finally gone and I think it will be warmer this week and wet instead, but safer underfoot .

  • stellabean
    stellabean Member Posts: 307

    Ye the big thaw has set in thankfully as the 2 blackbirds,Mr Robin and wren have managed to munch their way through 500g of live meal worms in 2 weeks. They will not look at the dried ones at all.We didn't get any post deliveries at all on Friday or Saturday as our usual postie only works Mon-Thurs. we don't always get a relief.I hope the new stock comes today as we are having to ration what is left and it isn't going down too well with the locals who are being quite vocal in their protests. With the snow melting they can at least find some worms and grubs for themselves.

  • stellabean
    stellabean Member Posts: 307

    A really BIG low today we crashed on the way to the GP for my yearly check up. I am fed up of snow and ice it has been with us since before Christmas and I am so tired of it.

    The Landrover has some damage but the trailer we were towing has most and the bridge wall we hit has fallen over. Once we got the landy restarted we made it to the GP I was 5 mins late and was greeted with you are late and I just shouted " we have just crashed" . My blood pressure was fine but my pulse was racing not surprisingly, they took some bloods but said I have to contact rheumy about those bloods even though I haven't seen anyone for nearly 2 years.

    I have to walk up to the horses again to see if the feed I soaked this morning which takes 15 mins supposedly has done it's job as it is so cold I left it after an hour and it hadn't changed at all even though I used warm water.

    The insurance company have been notified and their repair company have been in touch and I have told the council about their bridge they were surprised we owned up to it. At least we are both okay if a little shaken and not stirred!!

  • Shell_H
    Shell_H Member Posts: 548

    Goodness @stellabean - that is dreadful! I'm glad you're both OK and it's all being sorted, but you have my utmost sympathy. Hope everything goes better after that!

  • stellabean
    stellabean Member Posts: 307

    Thanks Shell_H, great news the feed was at last ready and the horses had breakfast at 3.30 pm better late than never.