Just before 5am

Chris is flying up to Glasgow this morning and got picked up by his taxi from a snow strewn main road hours before dawn.
The dogs remained firmly asleep. The three terriers all hiding under the bed eiderdown and Constance in her crate bed in the kitchen but I couldn't get back to sleep, so am presently drinking coffee in the living room whilst watching the snow fall in worrying amounts on the lane
 I don't want to be be snowed in today! I am almost out of poultry feed and desperately need to go to the feed shop....and although the snow is only 3-4 inches deep so far , the steepness of the lane just before it joins the main road, means that cars will remain effectively stranded until the lane is cleared!

Anyhow the only good point of dragging myself out of bed at 4.45 is that I saved a young cockerel from freezing to death. As I  tried to take Constance out for a pee (she was having none of it) I heard a cockerel call from the field, the call was louder than the usual more muffled ( inside) calls, so I went to investigate and found the youngest of the cockerels ( the one that escaped the cull of last month) crouched forlornly in the snow next to his closed coop. The poor bastard had obviously been late to roost and had been locked out all night.
I picked him up and tucked him head first under my armpit inside my coat to perk him up a little before sliding him into the middle of the ghost hens.....fat hens give off more heat!He should be ok!.............that bloody cockerel is living on borrowed time

I hate bloody snow 

Terry at the flower show
ps

Just have to give a big up to Terry, our neighbour and fellow Flower Show committee member, who went out of his way this morning to take me up to the feed shop to stock up on corn and pellets.
A former police driving instructor, he was the ideal person to navigate the minor roads here, which can be treacherous!
A few eggs seemed a small price to pay, for the peace of mind knowing that the animals are now all well fed and insulated against the cold

22 comments:

  1. I hate bloody snow also, but the lane picture is beautiful.

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  2. We're seeing the snow in the UK on our TV news here, and this morning's paper had pictures too. Looks awful. I hope you don't get snowed in.

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  3. We have the same ammount, it's booooootiful! xxx

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  4. Mate! You've got heaps of snow and we are getting the rain! Our annual cherry crop is already gone as the ripened fruit swells and splits, the wheat crop is water-logged and being crushed in the fields and we are importing more "fresh" vegetables from O/S than I like to see happen. Only good sign is a bumper spring lamb crop!

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  5. We don't cope well with snow in this country. I count my blessings, or curse them depending on how you look at it that I don't have to travel to work so I don't have that decide whether to go or stay or if I go will I get back again and in how many pieces.

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  6. The only good thing about our snow is that it provides nice scenes for pictures. I'm so pleased you found the cockerel in time.

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  7. Don't you just love the peace and quite of the early morning,it's when you can really think, and realise what a wonderful place the world is without man present.
    Poor bird, you are so kind John, fate decrees that this bird is meant to survive all the odds it seems....

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  8. I told you ... I'll have your snow ! My girls seem warm at night all fluffed up together but we haven't got the very very cold here.
    Thanks for your comment on my last post. The old paperwork took hours of searching in the cold loft & then I had problems loading & posting so when it finally went up I'd had enough !

    Hope you can get out to the stores today x

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  9. What a lovely view; I could enjoy it all day long, so long as I didn't actually have to go outside. : )

    ~Andrea~

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  10. The snow's lovely to look out on or play in, but if you need to go anywhere or do something outside it's a right pain.

    We used to have a cockerel like that. It first escaped from a fox with just his tail feathers missing, then next time escaped with a couple of big gouges in his back.
    When we had a glut of cockerels we gave him to a friend who kept him in a covered run with six hens. A fox managed to get in underneath the netting and killed all the hens and left him!
    They gave him back to us and he lived to a grand old age, bless him.

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  11. talk to me about snow in the New Year and I will have the same comments as you. The only good thing about living here in Canada and especially where we live now, they do spend a lot of money to keep the roads clear; I can't fault them for that.

    It's raining here today in Southern Ontario.

    Great to have such good neighbours,

    Gill in Canada

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  12. I think somewhere out there in the Universe that little cockerel's cry was reaching you and that's why you couldn't go back to sleep John. And for your kindness your neighbour heard your call for help in getting to the feedshop. Wonderful the way it all balances out in the end isn't it?

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  13. Well done Terry. Good neighbours are a blessing.

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  14. Hope Chris gets to Glasgow safely - Snows great when you have nowhere to be and plenty of "snap" in. xxxxx

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  15. Terry to the rescue!!!! What would we do without these guys who brave the weather as if it's nothing. Our neighbour, Don, made, yes made, his snow-blower out of a bunch of parts he had around!!! Go figure!? Where do these guys come from? He is more than happy to do our drive when it needs to be done. What can I say.
    Jim

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  16. ah, poor guy that was locked out! so glad you found him! hope you get out to get feed. stay cozy today.

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  17. I hope Chris has a safe trip. Good friends are priceless.
    I bet that cockerel has learned a lesson!

    Stay warm and cozy!

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  18. Glad for Terry and feed for the flock.. icy steep lanes are no good, I can attest to that! I absolutely will NOT drive on icy roads. Not worth risk of damage or injury.

    Lovely photo of your early morning snow and glad you saved the little cockerel. Sweet post today! xo

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  19. I want to live in a community like yours! Your stories about the kindness of neighbors like Terry are so heartwarming. I'm afraid that most communities in the US have lost that feeling of neighborliness. I'm glad that you found the little cockerel in time to save him.

    I'm jealous of your snow. It's late coming here and today we're getting rain, rain, rain. My part of the country handles snow well, so it's a real pleasure to see those first deep snows of the Winter. Gets to be a bit of a bore by February, though.

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  20. louise
    dont envy the snow please! horrid stuff.

    the neightbours are very sweet, I admit....I had to laugh cos I when I checked on an elderly neighbour this morning...he sighed loudly cos two people had already done the checking!!!

    as for the cockerel....
    fraid he will be culled at some stage if I cannot find him a home!

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  21. I am so with you I do not like snow or cold weather at all! I say bring on spring!!!

    How nice of your neighbor to drive you into town for feed!

    Cockeral was lucky he got to go in with the ghost hens, they probably said well come on over here honey we will warm you up! Well I am just sayin lol :O), I am glad you found him in time.

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  22. Anonymous5:00 am

    You have the kindest neighbors, John. First mittens and then a helping hand so your birds won't starve. What a great neighborhood you live in.
    That cockerel is like a cat...multiple lives. What next? Fox attack survivor? :-)

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