Dafad's-Days: FEELING BLUE

What can I say ... out of this mornings forecast fog came something the weatherman had failed to mention ... that "direction down, consistency very wet stuff" ... rain! And despite the wellies, buggerlugs here had no waterproof leggings on, need I say more. We turned into mud-splattered bog trotters within minutes. Reading Shep's post lastnight, I tried to think back to this time last year and I felt sure it was snowing. At over ten degrees ambient temp outside today, it is unbelievably mild. With large blue bottles busily buzzing about when they shouldn't oughta be and so many flowers are blooming when the plants should be resting, it's all a bit odd. I've got several primroses and blue polyanthus flowering out in the front garden at the moment along with dainty blue and white lobelia and campanula.

Then, continuing today's theme, up on the mountain, something else rather blue attracted my attention, a fly-tipped child's wellie ... Just one sadly discarded, lonely boot.

Catching up on some of the latest news with a local farmer who appeared out of the gloom in his landrover, he confirmed that yes it had indeed been snowing a year ago today. He too has noticed the flies around over the last few days at a time of year when they should no longer be any worry. As we chatted, a military jet flying at high speed crossed noisily overhead at a very low level, unseeable in the thick fog.

Having returned home and dried off, I searched through a lot of my old photo files and found this photo of recently cut, warm patterned wood and snow, taken a year ago.

November snow 2010.

I also came across some from St Davids Day (March 1st) 2006 when we had heavy snow.

In the pub only yesterday an 81 year old farmer was reminiscing about the winters of 1947 and 1963 when trying to reach many of the sheep was impossible and a lot were lost in the deep drifts. Those that were unable to get dug out, perished. He said that the '47' winter was tough because of post war hardships and in '63' it was the length of time that the farms were so deeply snow-bound. Modern day farm machinery makes things a bit easier and also the big round hay bales mean less trips to get winter fodder up onto the top fields, but even so, it really is a tough time for the mountain men and their flocks. It's quite a sight to see a tractor with two huge hay bales on the front forks and one behind, lumbering up the mountain road. Earlier in the year, the farmers with cattle will cut the bracken on the more level areas of the commons and bale it up for winter bedding. It's a strange thing to see on a September day, these monster cylindrical shapes spread out across the close-clipped moorland, with the sheep nibbling what little is left of the grass.

And it's quite good on a grey-glim day to look back at some of the highlights of the year before this blog was even begun
Looking back through ... my photo folders, around haymaking time, when the evening air was sweetly scented with new-mown grass; we had some quite stunning skies earlier in the year. Great masses of different cloud formations, billowing across deep azure backgrounds on lovely, warm breezy days.