Well, It turns out that the snow we had at the beginning of the week was only a dress-rehearsal. We woke up this morning to this:

First we fed and watered all the animals in the farmyard (including a little heifer calf which our cow, Livelong, had at midnight last night), and then we put the horses out in our safest fields to stretch their legs:

Winaway knee-deep in snow

By midday the snow stopped, thank goodness, so Chris wrapped some lengths of chain round the tractor tyres and braved the hill to Cow Field to get some silage:

One lump or two?

After lunch we went over to the other side of the farm to find the sheep and bring them back to the safety of our sheltered valley field, away from the northerly wind. The snow was already drifting dangerously. One ewe had died, and two others were suffering from cold and exhaustion, but we managed to get the flock to follow the tractor tracks slowly over the fields and down the lane to The Cleve. If panicked, the sheep jumped out of the tracks and became stuck in the snow. We had to go very gently, and the dogs stayed at home. The silage bale on the front of the tractor acted as the carrot and I was a well-padded stick, complete with cuddly Winnie The Pooh hat. Mist The Sheepdog would have laughed, but the main thing is it worked. The flock is now in a sheltered field, with plenty to eat.

The sheep finally made it to the Cleve, just before dark.

The only animals which seem to be perfectly happy in this weather are the Exmoor ponies.

Whilst skidding around defrosting drinking troughs and feeding hungry animals, Chris and I stocked up on potential Christmas card photos. Please vote for your favourites by leaving a comment at the end of this blog (guess where they are on the farm, too):

If you didn't know cows could be smug, you do now!