I've been sitting listening to radio Scotland this morning - thoroughly enjoying all the people calling in to say how lilly livered and health and safety mad we all are. Has no-one heard the Yorkshiremen Monty Python sketch?
And then there's the blogosphere with people complaining about having to go to work or not gritting their roads - here is a typical example, I particularly recommend the comments.
Meanwhile - we are still trapped here and things is getting serious. The lane up to the village is just sheet ice, so the gritters have had to give up on us, everyone is running out of hay - and it's becoming difficult to find people willing to lend. On top of that the only person we know of with a vehicle capable of getting the hay to us is up to his neck with calving* and doesn't have time to run an errand for us (remembering that apart from being a crofter, he also has a full time job). We are eeking out what hay we have the best we can with whins and branches of pine (which the goats devour with great gusto) - but we must get hold of hay soon - and there's no way we can get out. If we could get out we'd buy snow chains, and then never ever have a need to use them again.
On Saturday me and the girl went to the loch. The knee deep snow had a frozen crust on top that collapsed about half a second after I stood on it. It was a completely exhausting walk.
And then yesterday the 'walk' to the village to get the paper was terrifying. From the croft to the cattle grid on Paddy's Brae is one long smooth sheet of thick ice.
It is threatening to rise above freezing today, which to be honest is bad news - cos a wee thaw followed by another hard freeze just makes all the surfaces all the more dangerous. What we need is a long term thaw - but it don't seem to be coming yet.
* probably a more literal description than we'd care to imagine
2 comments:
Try making these, old chap:
Improvised Snow Shoes
Might be hard to fit them to the van, though.
no no - that'd be nicked by Jussi for goat food.
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