Cold Weather Pains

The cold weather has been with the UK for over two weeks now and it is not showing any sign of ceasing. I have just checked the MetCheck website for the farm for the next seven days and it looks like it is set to get even colder not just at the farm but across the UK, with heavy snow predicted for Tuesday / Wednesday and sporadic snow fall in the coming weeks.

Link To Forecast

Any snow that falls is falling onto solid frozen ground so it is immediately settling and building up quickly. Although the snow looks very pretty, it causes so much extra work for farmers. I can only speak from experience of life at LambWatch (Marlfield Farm) but I know that problems with frozen water pipes and supplies not just in the farm house but in farm buildings affects all old properties and puts the pipes in real danger of cracking.

The farm is also located at the end of a steep ungritted road so access is a really difficult. The hens don't like the cold weather; their egg production pretty much ceases and the sheep need extra hay as the grass is solid.

Furthermore, a lot of farms at this time of year, including Marlfield Farm, are expecting arrivals of their first lambs for the 2010 lambing season. If a lamb is born outdoors in the temperatures we have been seeing / are going to see they will be dead within minutes and the mother would be in danger too. Most farms who have an early lambing season this time of year actually lamb indoors in barns for this exact reason, but even in the barns the temperatures are so cold it is still risky. And of course when indoors it is important that the animals have a water supply, which is why it is so important that pipes remain intact! Lambing indoors also increases the risk of complications due to mix ups with families getting their lambs confused with other families' lambs.

At LambWatch we have 3 expectant sheep due to produce lambs at any time (not sure of precise dates). In this weather they are being brought into the barn every night and let out into the fields during the day. Fortunately for us, we have only three due at this time of year and the rest are due in March / April time!

Roll on Spring!

So we just have to hope and pray (emphasis on the latter) for milder weather for you and all there.  So much for Global Warming !!!

It makes our worries and complaints about the bad weather minor to those of the farmers and animals.

Is this Mother Nature telling us we have it wrong about global warming?  I wonder!!!  

As Helen says we just hope and pray for milder weather sooner rather than later.

Global warming obviously took place after the ice age.  Was it animal methane emissions? Flights? Gas guzzling cars?They hadn't been invented. It was nature then. It is nature now (if it's real). Taxing emissions is just about treasury revenue.

Snow, snow go away

and bring back the sun and let it stay.

Three sheep are due to lamb on Marlfield Farm

Please God make sure they and their mum's come to no harm.

Lambwatch has alot of friendly fans

Please dont let the snow ruin the Proctors plans.

My Best Wishes and thoughts go to Howard, Lynda and Ben and all the sheep who are due and of course their lambs!!!

With Love to all, Dan and Heather included.

Fi xx

Hear, hear, Fi!

Count me in on the prayers...I will gladly pray that all goes well and Marlfield winter woes are few..or nil.

Just a word on Global Warming...This is exactly what Global Warming is all about.  It is a catch phrase for changing weather patterns...not necessarily here or there ..but the WORLD is experiencing changes in weather and climate patterns that directly, or indirectly, affect regions that normally have consistent and predictable climates.  The changes, over the years have created a " Domimo Affect" ...that has started to affect the WORLD over-all. Therefore the changes we are experiancing, that are new to us, will eventually become the norm. So we will be having to adapt .  Depending on where we are in the world, the weather patterns may change dramatically to hotter or colder, wetter or drier , etc..   as well as exposure issues due to erosions, in so many forms. All of this is (Global Warming)  In a nutshell, so to speak..it is more about the whole picture and not so much about this getting warmer or colder.    This is as easy as I can make it for you all..This is not my opinion, but fact...However it is my opinion that we are fussing way too much with the earths protective layers, and poking holes in it does not help in the least.  In a nutshell....

                                                                                                                                               I send this with plenty of Prayers..  Karen                                          

I do hope Lynda and Howard are okay in this icy and snowy weather. 

The snow is beautiful on the fields. If only it would fall where we don't drive or walk. Life would be easier.

I do hope and pray that the lambing season is uneventful for you. Thanks, Dan, for giving insight to the hazards for the sheep and lambs.

Stephanie

The weather, touch wood, appears to be warming up, with the forecast showing daytime temperatures above zero on some days this week, so that is good news. There is still a lot of snow at the farm but it is starting to melt slowly which is a relief.

Howard thinks the sheep that are due to lamb are still a week or so off from lambing and a sheep was taken to market yesterday (not a particularly notable sheep!) as it had a completely disfunctional bag.

Just a bit of a news update for you!

Thanks for the update Dan...

There are also some pics of the snowy weather taken on Christmas Day at the farm in the gallery here :)

They are lovely photos Dan... I loved the one of the trees and have saved it to my computer. 

Hello... I am pleased you put that photo of Howard disappearing into the gloom in the gallery.... very ethereal !! He was actually walking down to try and get Tom and Gayle up the road to the farm so they could have their Christmas dinner !!

Dan, I loved the winter pics from the farm.  Shows what a grip the white stuff had on you all, but they are lovely.  The one of

Howard disappearing down the road is wonderful.  It will be interesting to see what those new little trees look like in

springtime.

Helen