Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Fed up with mud...

You know what I want? What I really, really want?

I want to walk up onto the field without coat/scarf/boots/hat/gloves. I want warm and light and mostly I want Spring.

I didn't think it was infectious but it looks like I've caught Februaryitis - an affliction which seems to be doing the rounds of blogworld. Some days, at this time of year I'm that fed up with mud and gloom that I could - in the words of an old Yorkshire friend - 'writ' bum 'ont wall.'

I am failing to express myself quite as eloquently as bloggers elizabethm and Rachel. All I can think of saying is 'Bleugh, I've had enough of this. Moan. Sigh.'

But hang on...when the sun comes out things look pretty good. It was light this evening at 5.37pm and at 2 minutes per day that means by Sunday, well, it should be light at nearly six o'clock. Well, nearly. But you get my drift.

We have snowdrops, early crocus and the sweetest little cyclamen. There are lambs - as skippy and hoppy as lambs can be.  I'd swear that the birds were sounding a little more optimistic too. Tweet, tweet. I am glad about these things.

In other news:

The Hermans have been baked. Here they wait to go into the oven:


Other Hermans have been given away but I have no news of their fate. We have eaten one of ours and it did taste good - particularly when warm, straight from the oven. The only thing which might have made it better would have been a dollop of Bird's custard....but the Glam Ass is something of a foodie snob and doesn't do custard (or ketchup or instant coffee) so we went without. The other two are in the freezer.


Chester the brave hunting dog has had a worrying couple of days. Firstly he was bullied by the lovely sheep, which gave him a good and unexpected 'seeing-to'. (Admittedly better that the other way round - I must admit that in sheep country such as this it is perhaps the best thing that could happen to him.) She pushed him into the fence and proceeded to head-butt him vigorously while he desperately looked for a means of escape...eventually running to stand behind me. Wuss or what?

As if a large old ewe was not enough he seems threatened by a wood louse. Check it out here, rambling across my dog-hairy kitchen floor:
It is all of 7mm long. The brave hunting dog is perhaps .75m at the shoulder. What is there to scare a dog in such an itsy creature? Is this small creature giving off some primordial signals that the dog's fairly basic brain sees as a threat. Again, and this time after a long period of observing the scuttling creature followed by some cautious back stepping, he comes to stand behind me for protection.

I realise that these little things are crustaceans but can some entymologist out there tell me if there they give off some threatening smell or something which would worry a dog? Something redolent of its dinosaur past perhaps? It's quite amusing to watch his reaction but at the same time rather strange.

The Young Farmers took their panto to Whitchurch last Friday, and by the skin of their teeth pulled off a presentable performance in the drama competition. From my lofty position in the lighting box it all looked pretty good...even when our Dame, Harry, came back on stage after a costume change sans wig and was, when he realised his mistake, pretty and publicly apologetic. But heh! We were amongst friends and he brought the house down - especially when the wig was thrown on from the wings and he jammed it back on his head. We didn't get placed but two of our young people got the awards for best under 18 actors - well deserved too.

The pace of life will hopefully get back to normal...after next Saturday when the group put Jack and the Beanstalk on in the Village Hall.

Not that I shall be sitting around idly....the garden looks as if, given a bit of warmth and wet, it's about ready to burst into life. This year I am determined to keep on top of it.

I wonder.....


17 comments:

Pondside said...

I am sick of mud - mud in the driveway, mud in the chicken yard, mud on the lawn - also sick of fog and mist and damp of any kind. I'm longing for sun hot enough to warm the top of my head. Is that too much to ask? Really?
Wishing you some real sun....soon....

Cro Magnon said...

We're at that odd twixt stage of having both winter and summer in the same day. Mornings are still frosty, but days are glorious, and we eat outdoors.

Annie said...

I'm sick of mud too but am really loving all the signs of spring. Good to have a catch up with you....might see you one day too?
Hugs,
A x

SmitoniusAndSonata said...

I'm still giving thanks it's not minus 17 outside ( and minus 16 inside ) .
But it is definitely time to climb out of all these layers ! There can be nothing ghastlier than wearing jeans AND leggings .
Herman and crème anglaise might sound "foodier"?

rachel said...

Pshaw, Glam Ass! Let the poor traditionalist have her Bird's custard! I like it rather thin, like school custard, and prefer it to the thick real-vanilla-infused stuff. Is that shameful?

Your Februaryitis is like mine, somewhat wavering - impossible to stay despondent with lambs and narcissi doing their best, isn't it? Spring is definitely on her way.....

bayou said...

Years ago, we used to escape this Februaryitis (great word, thanks!) by booking just one week on the Canarians. But those times are gone since we live here and enjoy every moment. But you are lucky to have crocus and other signs of spring like lambs, we still wait for it, just early snowdrops showing a bit of white right now. I wonder if Chester has always been like that? Then, there is no worry ;-). But if he develops the fear of small bugs only now, I would have it looked at by the vet. I can see the picture of the ewe ramming him and his face about it...
I am sure you will be on top of your lovely garden this year! And I will be interested to know about the fate of the given away Hermans *ggg*

Lesley said...

My niece joined us all for a big family weekend in Lincolnshire from Uni in Swansea and brought a cake - yes, you guessed it - a Herman!! Maybe linked to yours by some twisted genealogy?!

She was very surprised when I told her that I HAD heard of them...so thanks for the heads up!

The lighter evenings are most promising and the birds are singing in the mornings too! It's on it's way...

Lesley x

Sam said...

The hermans I made were lovely. I made one for me and harry and one for work. They were very moist and went within an hour at work and it was massive, a good baking tray size and very tall. The other two got passed on, and after family requests I am getting a quarter back to pass on to them:) All in all a resounding success. Harry has taken a picture to show you xx

Fennie said...

Yes - stand out for your custard. Birds custard kept us going in 1940 - or so I am led to believe. Without Custard there wouldn't be C in Great Britain - well I know there isn't but - hell it's been a long day and it isn't yet five o'clock. So stick out for custard and put up with the mud. Learn to like it. Without mud we should never have triumphed at Crécy or Agincourt and imagine what the implications of that would have been. We'd all be speaking French and we certainly wouldn't have custard! So mud - OK. What we do want is a bit more sunshine. Pass the Vitamin D tablets!

Tattieweasle said...

It is getting lighter and tomorrow (Thursday) it is meant to be warmer....spring is just peeping round the corner!!!

Bluestocking Mum said...

Hello F.

So good to catch up on blogs. Know exactly what you mean about February - it certainly hasn't helped my cause these last weeks.
Although I bet that panto will cheer you up!


I have young Bruno now (one of SBS pups) so there's a continual trail of muddy paw prints on the slate floors.

Hope to see you very soon. Give Bodran and SBS a nudge about meeting J in Ludlow, will you? We need cake and catch up :)

xx

mountainear said...

Will do BSmum.

Glad to see that Herman has been received favourably - my neighbour here is after another one. There was me thinking they were things to be politely avoided.

Elizabeth Musgrave said...

I too am sick to death of mud. I went out to do some work the other day looking reasonably smart and realised when I got there that I had mud in quite large quantities on my boots. Still spring must be around here somewhere!

snailbeachshepherdess said...

You havent got time for Februaryitis - you need to get those pylon banners out and rewritten or turbines ....next?????

Nutty Gnome said...

Haha - we were given some Herman mixture recently. Himself (unusually!) took charge of it, nurtured it, fed it as required, etc, etc but forgot(?!) to divide it up to pass on before he added all the fruit and cooked it! One way to break the chain I gues - 'cos the Herman back in the 80's went on for MONTHS!

It's not raining here for once and the sun is shining ...but it's chuffin' cold!

Friko said...

This is a much delayed return to your visit. I hope you have recovered your usual equanimity somewhat although the weather is hardly likely to inspire.

My Benno is a great wuss too, I think as he ages, he is becoming afraid of his own shadow. He is a big dog, yet he tries to hide behind me whenever there is a loud noise or another dog wants to say hello.

Kitty said...

Know what you mean about the mud - we've had a dry week here and it's LOVELY to go out to see to the hens in shoes rather than wrestling with wellies. And only another week until the clocks go back! Onwards and upwards, dear heart!