Blue skies, a white blanket and a lot of woolly jumpers

Upper Swaledale is looking spectacular today wearing her winter-white coat

under a bright blue sky.

 It may look spectacular but these weather conditions create hundreds of hungry mouths.

Self service!

Whilst it stays like this our sheep will get hay twice a day.

This old lass is pleased to see us.  

Searching for food with your nose is a cold business.

Even a flock of only two need looking after

Its the first very wintry day of the year and Heidi and Hetty are hungry.

Its been snowing quite hard, its windy and squally but still my herdwick sheep are not sure

about going inside the cowus even though their hay is in there.

 

 So I tempt them in by laying a sugar beet trail

 In all relationships there's leaders and followers with some braver than others ...

and in this case its generally Heidi.

 Looking back and I can see no sign of either of them.  

People think sheep are stupid but that is far from the truth.  They can seek out shelter in the worst weather.  They will wait till there is no sign of danger (and that includes me even though I feed them) before going into the building and risk being trapped.  But they want that hay.  

When I go back tomorrow every scrap will be gone! 

Happy Herdys in the snow.

Heidi and Hetty - Happy on Home Field

 The Herdy girls have settled well in their new home.  

Herdwicks have a reputation for jumping and climbing and roaming off ........

..... but Heidi and Hetty seem to like it here at Pry House Farm. 

We've had some frosty nights and a covering of snow this morning 

so the bite of hay I take for them is welcome.