Welcome to Narnia

It started to REALLY snow around 5pm last night and brought the whole city to a standstill. Winter Wonderland today. Bright, sunny and strangely warm, no wind, just the odd whisper of snow falling from branches. The Gillybirds have been eager to explore and have a thorough peck at the snow. I’m sure it’s quite refreshing.
I’m preparing to speak at an event on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, a children’s book by local author CS Lewis and looking out it seems like the frozen kingdom called Narnia ruled by Jadis the White Witch has come to life. But then I see the spring bulbs pushing up through the snow and am reassured that the beauty and the inconvenience of heavy snow won’t last forever.

Genuine hen prints in the snow

The White Stuff

Jus to let you know we all survived and things didn’t turn out quite so bad as had been predicted weather-wise. This morning I slushed across the grass with my heart in my mouth, wondering if the coop would reveal nothing but frozen chicken. Thankfully, as it was already fully daylight I could hear the Gillybirds fussing and stamping about eager to get out. They were in great form. Temperatures were above freezing, their food and water were fine, it was not a bad day, the snow sneaking away quietly bit by bit. Perhaps this will be our only snow this winter.
You know your children are no longer so little when they stay in bed rather than dash outside in their pjs at first light to make a snowman and demand to be taken sledging. Sigh. Still, We had a lovely winter snowy walk, Mr Gillybirds and I, and Lucas expressed his joy as only Lucas can.

I’ve walked two miles now can I go home please!

Funny how a wee white doggy doesn’t look so white against the snow 🙂

Weather Update

Well, it’s after 2pm and wet snow has been falling for about an hour and as you can see it is lying on top of the coop. Really windy too. We are officially in the Red Zone!
Didn’t appreciate the naughty puppy escaping from the garden and having to prowl around our neighbours trying to get him back for 30 minutes!

This is Lucas’ first snow, he is whining at the door to get back out. Or perhaps he is after the pasta the Gillybirds got for a warming lunch.

Red Weather warning

Here in our damp, grey corner of the island we were issued with the most serious weather warning last night- RED- rather ironically for the white stuff- snow. It’s coming! The Gillyboys went to bed all excited, perhaps a snow day off school and sledging down the hills I sledges down as a child.
What did we wake up to? Yet more rain, heavy grey skies, how disappointing! It’s now lunch time and while there is a snowy tinge to the rain,
it’s still over 4 degrees though if the weather satellite picture above is to be believed those just a bit west of here are already in the midst of a white out.
Of course as well as ensuring the boys took gloves and hats to school I am concerned for the Gillybirds well-being. I let them splash around the garden this morning while I affixed yet another tarp on the coop roof . The Eglu does appear to be well insulated, it is up against a high wall for shelter and the tarps should keep some of the rain/snow off the hens. They do appear fairly wet and bedraggled most days, I’m sure I wouldn’t like to be wearing the equivalent of a damp duvet all day but they are eating well, laying well and happily chased me round the grass this morning.

I put down fresh sawdust and lots of leaf litter for them to scratch through in the few hours of murky daylight left before they hop up the ladder into bed around 4.45pm.
I haven’t seen much of a stretch in the day just yet but I did see daffodils in bloom in a neighbour’s garden. Hopefully the snow forecast is a brief tussle with winter and spring will soon be on the way.
In the meantime I spotted this on The Poke (very funny website) giving a “weather warning” about the coming blizzard. I can identify with most of it!