Snowfall report

Well, after a couple of days cut off from non-essential traffic, we've dug ourselves out and are now accessible once again!  I even managed to do some Christmas shopping in the increasingly well-appointed Bradford-on-Avon whose shops are positively ideal for Christmas gifts, all within easy reach of free car parks.

This recent snowfall wasn't the prettiest example of the white blanket, but here are a few photos from a couple of days ago.  We'll be hunting for a Christmas tree tomorrow, so crossing fingers for a bit of a thaw!

Warm, at 2 degrees.

Amazing just how warm it feels, yet it's only 2 degrees outside.  Fortunately for the birds and wildlife we are currently experiencing something of a mini-thaw, and the south facing slopes are beginning to show some earth again, revealing seeds, berries and bugs.


Overnight though, it is still very cold indeed, and so yesterday we constructed a natural shelter (pictured), to give some protection to our chilly birds at night.  Using half-pruners we lopped off the arms of our former Christmas tree (a fir this year, so a bit less scratchy than a spruce).  Placing an underlayer of branches on the floor of a sheltered spot under a wall, we formed an evergreen cavity with the remaining branches on top.

A plate of food outside encouraged its discovery and I'm pleased to note that, judging by the footprints, someone used the new shelter last night.  Hopefully we've provided a useful service; one can at least try!

Tilting at snowmen

It's a common enough question: do I bash the snow off my plants or not? Generally speaking, yes, if it can be done without damaging the plants, because the weight of snow can disfigure and even break off delicate branches.

Rather like the railways, however, with the air so exceptionally and consistently cold, we are experiencing the wrong kind of snow.  The sub-zero (sub-minus-ten last night) temperatures have caused the snow to freeze solid, leaving the leaves and branches encrusted with ice. Whilst there may be a risk that that branches will snap with the weight of the snow, the process of its removal may bring greater risk.  Accordingly one must assess the need and risk for each individual plant.

There are of course plants that are unlikely to take the weight of snow at all, and at Iford these are dealt with delicately and soon after snowfall ends whilst the snow is still 'warm'.  The horizontal junipers on the terrace (see photo), and trees which overhang high terraced walls often grow in an uneven fashion, and the snow-load can put undue strain on the roots. 

A mediaeval pikestaff might do the trick, or in our case a piece of 2x1 baton, using a gentle poking action from a distance to avoid getting the snow in one's boots.

New Year snow

Like a lot of other people we are snowbound with more frozen days to come. A few hardy (or foolhardy) souls have attempted to drive into the valley with predictable results: going downhill is easy with gravity but getting back up a one-in-six gradient is altogether a different matter.

Not much visible wildlife other than a few hungry robins (fatballs are popular) but a lot of tracks in the snow - one of them a boar badger with feet like a yeti. At least you can see which setts are occupied.

Before the freeze we had a visitation of well over fifty fieldfares in the orchard. They had a banquet on rotting apples. This lead to a lot of shouting at each other and a drunken brawl between two males, feathers flying. Most years the same thing occurs with the ducks in the carpark by the river. Since then the only bird life of note has been one of the ravens flying low and trying to avoid being mobbed by the rooks, and the resident buzzard crossly leaving its branch on the drive whenever someone walks up there.