Breaking in a new sheepdog

 

 Chris has a new, young sheepdog called Ron.  

He came almost fully trained but both man and dog have to get used to each other

so Chris has him out twice a day working with a small group of sheep.

 

Ron has to learn when to drive the sheep forward 

and when listen and wait for the next command.

 

He'd doing well.  He's strong and keen and fast and

should make a good fell dog.

A Bird's Eye View of the Buttertubs Pass

Beautiful views towards Swaledale from the snow capped Buttertubs today.  These guys handgliding had the best views of all.

'Decking the halls' for Christmas at Hillcrest Holiday Cottage

Christmas is so special.  

I love getting Hillcrest ready for my Christmas guests.

Welcome!

Adding a few little touches such as freshly picked holly ....

and a living Christmas tree ......

topped off with a dolly-peg angel!

New for Christmas 2016 is a delicately lit outdoor tree looking pretty as dusk falls.

Pink Sky at Night - Shepherd's Delight

A beautiful evening in Swaledale and a spectacular sky.

Taken from the garden at Hillcrest on the 19th December,

almost the shortest day of the year.

Upper Swaledale looking down to Thwaite

Meadows and Cow Houses

A favorite view of many looking down at Thwaite meadows. 

Each is enclosed by ancient stone walls and each with its own cow house 

(they are not called barns in Upper Swaledale).  The Cow House, pronounced cowus, is in two parts; one end being for three or four cows to be housed during winter and the other the hay mew for storing hay.  In summer the grass from the field was cut and made into hay which was then forked by hand into the hay mew ready to feed to the cows during the winter.  In late winter early spring the muck from the cows (a natural fertilizer) was spread on the field.  The whole procedure was done by hand and very labour intensive.

Today the same traditional methods are employed which produces the same flower-rich hay however the cows are wintered in modern farm buildings and modern farm machinery is used at hay time. 

Thank goodness!  

Winter in Swaledale

Snow covered Swaledale hills glistening pink at the end of the day

Dodd Hill at the top of Gunnerside Moor taken from Pry House Farm

Green dale, white mountain and pink sky as sun sets over Sleddale

Winter at Pry House Farm

The advantage to short, crisp winter days ....

....... are the long, warm winter nights!