Monday was vile. Everyone was up around the house either in stables, sheds or wandering about poo’ing everywhere (my thanks to Iacs, Haakon and Klængur who took this job very seriously).
And then the power went off in the afternoon and that was that.
As it got dark (3 p.m.), I ran around hanging up haynets while praying everyone was keeping safe. It was all I could do. That, and spend the whole night awake worrying.
Tuesday morning and I put the boys out into their field as they had not really used their stable overnight. My theory was that they might as well poo everywhere in a field intsead of the mess around the house.
No power meant the nights were long and very cold. We are better off than most, we have a Rayburn (poor-man’s Aga) for hot water and cooking, as well as a bottle-gas cooker in the kitchen. Our bedroom is directly above the kitchen too. The sitting room has a mult-fuel stove and OH dragged the gas heater in too so we had two warm rooms – the kitchen and the sitting room.
One of my huge worries was Waffle. We managed to drive over daily (somehow with many prayers – it was very scary) to see the ponies taking food to warm them up. Waffle was always shaking and soaked to the skin so I took a rug with me and that helped hugely.
On Wednesday, I threw my little ones out together with the Old Men. They sniffed, pulled a few faces and then just got on with it.
So, we’ve managed to keep our heads above water.
OH even managed to get to town for provisions and bought me a present – five yellow buckets!
A huge thank you to my “helper(s)”. Everyone was brilliant.
So glad everyone is safe and sound!
So pleased to hear from you again, Frances. I’ve been thinking about you such a lot over the last few days. I couldn’t imagine how you’d been coping. You must be exhausted – it’s been bad enough just with low temperatures and ice down here. It makes everything such hard work. Fingers crossed that you’re over the worst, weather-wise, for a while.
Great news! I’m really glad you’ve all been managing. Best wishes.
so glad to hear you are all ok! What a hard time you have been through…. nothing like a little of mother nature to make us all sit up and pay attention!
So glad you are all well.
“When dark clouds gather ’round and nights are cold…”
Take comfort here:
So glad you ALL are OK. I understand taking care of critters in foul (fowl) weather. We don’t have snow, just very COLD high winds -14 degrees F. ( -25 C) The kiddie pools and stock tanks have frozen over, so we use the sledge hammer to break up the ice in the morning. This afternoon the sun came out and it was 35 degrees F (1.1 C) so we used the sledge hammer again , and tossed out huge chunks of ice. Then topped off with liquid water. They birds all appreciated a real bath !! water thrown everywhere. Also changed shavings in the houses so they have warm dry beds in their houses because Mother Nature is promising sleet and more frozen rain tomorrow OH JOY.
5 yellow buckets !! our hubbys are birds of a feather. Mind bought me a long handled flat tool that makes getting the shavings our ot the far back of the houses much easier.
So glad you have heat inside and water didn’t freeze.
Keeoing fingers crossed for warmer weather.
Thank you for the pictures and description of what’s been happening with you all week. So glad your power has finally come back on. Looks like you have managed an amazing job taking care of all your critters, outside and inside. God bless you all.
Thank crunchy you could get out to the ponies, I was concerned that you were trapped by snow on top of everything else.
We’re all very relieved that you and your family are OK.
By coincidence, I just finished watching the movie “The Day After Tomorrow” (about drastic climate change causing an Ice Age) and your photo of the deep blue wall of clouds looks like it could be straight out of the film. Let’s hope it isn’t a preview of what’s to come.
oh crikey. Please not
OMG that is a long power cut I am glad to see you back Francis !!