The wind blew cold and strong yesterday. So the big doors were closed, with boards running crosswise to secure them and stop them from flying inward. 
The little pigs sleep right inside those doors and I don’t want them caught in a cross draft of cold wind blowing straight on them.
The wind was quite the surprise after a few weeks of calm warmer weather.
With it below freezing again the hoses are at risk of freezing solid so after I filled all the water troughs the hoses had to be emptied of water and hung. This is great exercise for the arms. I hold the hoses above my head and pull them in, hand over hand, to empty them. Then loop them over poles until next time.
Once everything was done that had to be done I went inside for the afternoon to make a chicken and roast onion pie.
There was even a little sprinkle of snow – not snow flakes though – these were like little polystyrene balls. They bounced to the ground. Affecting nothing at all. Just hanging out down there.
Sheila my Petal. I need to bring in more straw for her today. Her bed is looking small. I love seeing the dents in the straw surrounding her from where the calves lay for the night. She is like a queen with all her young handmaidens curled up at the edge of her skirts, and slightly below her – as befits their station.
I hope you have a lovely day.
Love celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
66 responses to “Closed for Busy-ness”
Enter Miss Sheila, stage left, as Titania… preparing to sleep surrounded by Peaseblossom, Mustardseed, Cobweb, Moth and all the rest of her lovely handmaidens. But I think if you overhung her bed with eglantine and violets and wild thyme, she’d make pretty short work of them; a small midnight snack!
Ah yes, she is a good DOer is out Sheila.. c
I love your barn! It’s really windy here today. 42F, but the wind is steady around 20mph, so it doesn’t feel as nice. Glad you got those doors closed for the piggies. Roast onion pie sounds delicious!
It is a beautiful meal . I will tell you more tomorrow.. c
I thought the same thing about our snow – looks like Styrofoam pellets!
I love the cows in the boot of the car!
IT is everywhere! and falling again today.. c
I will take some. A little.
My girls call that type of snow “Dipping Dot Snow” because it looks like the freeze dried snow you can buy in malls, zoos, etc. 🙂
Makes perfect sense! c
I look forward to the recipe! Yummmm
Have a great day Chris.. c
Lovely Sheila! We had a wind off the sea here yesterday and it felt oh so cold…
Oh I remember those winds from my childhood – they make me howl! like a dog into them! c
Those owls were a surprise to me. Do they “come there often?”
Do you remember them? They used to sit above the grape vines and scare off the birds – now they just gather cobwebs in the barn. c
Exquisite turns of phrase Miss C. I so love reading your writing. Also am completely taken by the picture of hereford coat. Such lovely fur.
They are wooly aren’ t they . c
I can find an upside, or cope with any type of weather except the wind. It drives me batty. Better to have a big barn and warm kitchen to escape.
Yes – even though it is still a bit rattly in the barn – it always feels like an oasis.. c
What a gorgeous barn and ❤ ❤ ❤ animals! 🙂
They are Dina – and welcome – I have the best job! c
Yep, that is graupel for sure! We tend to get that mostly in May and June when a cold front slips over a warm front. I’ve always called it “popcorn snow!”
My husband calls it corn snow. But nothing brings out the snorts like “graupel”.
I love reading about the attention to detail that you put into every aspect of the farm and caring for the animals… it is inspiring and satisfying …reading your blog is reading about a life well -lived, and it’s very beautiful and very precious…love, valerie