Thursday, April 01, 2010

In which April 1st fools us into thinking it is still mid-winter...

Lambs skipping in the April sunshine, sweet flowers blooming.....dream on. We woke to a white world this morning and this was the scene at lunchtime as snow fell heavily on the small mountain kingdom of Trelystan. Who would be a sheep?
Weatherwise it has been disturbingly horrible up here for the past couple of days. We seem to be taking one step forward and 2 steps back. One moment whooping ecstatically over buds and shoots and the next glumly pulling on boots, hat and mitts to trudge to the compost heap. Sigh. English weather eh? Don't cha just love it? Always something to write about though.


On the desk next to me the incubator still hums. The 14 eggs it contains are due to hatch on Saturday. I am moderately excited but having lots of those 'don't tempt fate' moments and wondering if they are actually fertile eggs after all. Have I actually seen the cockerel at 'it' with the relevant hens recently? Answer 'not much' - but then I don't watch them every waking hour.

I am an optimist and have made preparations just in case a number of fluffy chicks do chip their way into the world on Saturday. The Glam Ass and I have rigged up a brooder with a heat lamp at exactly the right height so that they will be not too warm and not too cold. Here sod's law might come into play - having made the preparations will that mean that no chickens hatch? Whereas if I'd done nothing would I then have to make emergency arrangements when they all emerge into this cold damp kingdom?

As it is there is a lovely warm spot ready and waiting in the garage and if the weather continues to be so unkind I shall go and curl up under the heat lamp myself.

13 comments:

Julia Dunnit said...

Now that IS a plan! At least an antidote....

SmitoniusAndSonata said...

Where can we join the queue for the heat lamp ? Thank goodness for electric blankets .
Hope all the eggs hatch out and we can see photos soon . Then we can all suggest names for them !!
P.S. Just don't ask the Fridge Soup brigade for suggestions .Who knows what you'd end up with ...

Maggie Christie said...

Fingers crossed for your Easter chicks! Our lambs have a heat lamp and bask underneath it like girls on a beach. I bet that lamb in your picture would like a bit of warmth on its back. I feel sorry for the ones out in the fields.

Fred said...

Every morning The Farmer surveys the climatic offerings that purport to be spring and sighs, 'Thank feck we sold the sheep'

Angie said...

What a wonderful photo of the lamb and its mum surrounded by snow. Hope you dont loose any lambs due to this weather.

Frances said...

City dweller again thanks you for letting me have some real insight into what the country can be as March slides into April.

Snow seems such an unfair fall on new lambs. Yes, I know that this must have been true for centuries, but all the same....

Hoping that the end of this week will warm up and that chicks will be greeting Easter, bonnets will be worn on Sunday. And all the rest of the wishes that anyone would want to add.

The only April fooling that went on in my shop in NYC involved funny joking around with out friends from UPS and Fed Ex. These are wonderful folks.

Best wishes to you, the lambs, and the chicks to be. xo

Annie said...

Brrrrr please save me a spot under that heat lamp....I promise I will move over when the chicks arrive [note I said if and not when...ever the optimist :-) ].
Have a great Easter.
A x

Cait O'Connor said...

I can visualise the kingdom of Trelystan snow-covered, bet it is beautiful.
Good luck with the new babies.

Fennie said...

Not having a heat lamp we reared our first bunch of chicks with one of those oil filled radiators covered in a blanket against which the chicks would huddle as though they were huddling up to Mother Hen. It worked a treat and provided a sense of physical security as well. Terrible weather. Good luck with the lambs.

Twiglet said...

You have been awarded the " This blog is charming award". Pop over to my blog for details. I can't wait to see pics of your chirping Easter chicks!

Friko said...

hallo there, you, under the heat lamp. Can i come and join you?
it is too sad, Easter is not what it used to be!

Pam said...

Good grief! Hope it melts soon.
It's Saturday - did they hatch? Oooo, please do keep us informed.
I passed along a blogging award to you today - one for making me smile frequently. It's at my place if you want to pick it up.
Happy Easter!

Pondside said...

We had snow here on Saturday - unbelievable! That poor little lamb looks like I felt.
Fingers crossed for your chicks - I want one of those nifty little incubators.