Fimbulwinter 3: The Enwinterenating

[glenatron]

After my last update I checked in with work - cunningly, after reading weather forecasts yesterday I packed my stuff up to facilitate working from home so I can still do my job. The only thing that would have been more cunning would have been if I hadn't so I couldn't.

After a relatively brief check-in we grabbed an early lunch and stomped off the couple of miles to visit the poines. Turns out that a couple of miles through deep snow that nobody else has walked through is both awesome and exhausting. I maintained dry legs through the medium of binbag gaiters fastened on with gaffa tape. Proper engineering!

I'm sure you'll tire of these before I do, so here are a few more from our adventures...

The Exmoor ponies had been given their hay just by the path- probably the only place anyone could get it to them. Looked as though it had been transported by toboggan.


The snow on the trees is scenic and also means they keep losing branches across paths, roads and powerlines. As yet we still have electricity...


Totally clear path that nobody had walked on yet. It was fun to stomp through and I got to be Good King Wenceslas but also quite tiring just because it needs you to pick your knees up the whole time.


The boys had been in all day, so we let them out into Donk's old field for a while to stretch their legs. Zorro responded by making a snow angel, Small by whiffling his nose through the snow, something he absolutely loves doing.


Small whiffles unaware of the storm brewing behind him...


... it would be fair to say he became aware of it.


Charging through deep snow requires a certain elevation in the gaits.


sleepsy_mouse illustrates just how deep the snow we are trailblazing through is.


Trees and the view across the valley.


By the time we got back it was getting late and the ponies had a lot of snow on their coats, testament to how well insulated these little guys are.


Well, that's me out. It's well past bedtime here but I thought I should share those while they are fresh. Apparently tomorrow we are forecast sunshine, together with subzero temperatures to maintain the snow. Good job I threw away my old skis and boots when we moved house a year or too back. There was no way I was ever going to need those again.

Comments

[dancing-crow.livejournal.com]

that is wonderful winterland - I hope you are getting a kick out of the snow still

[penella22.livejournal.com]

Ahhh bless little ponies as you would say...

That looks very much like the terrain round me too, although I have to say that for me it *is* starting to lose it's novelty. A bit of sunshine would cheer me up, and then I'd be all ready to hunker down through some more storms. But really, it's getting to be like Narnia around here...*before* Aslan comes back.

I love it that ponies can insulate themselves enough to have snow on their backs. Never fails to make me smile as it tells me their coats are working.

[littlesnowy.livejournal.com]

That looks really cool. Consider me jealous.

[glenatron.livejournal.com]

If only we owned a toboggan!

[glenatron.livejournal.com]

I was watching The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe on Tuesday night until the snow covered the satellite dish and we lost signal...

Got sunshine now. It's sparkly.

[glenatron.livejournal.com]

We are for now. I suspect not being able to get anywhere except on foot will get tired at some point, but it is probably doing me good to walk a bit.

[evil-c.livejournal.com]

Its all soooo pretty around there! I'm glad the boys got out for a while. Zorro looks to be having a great time in the snow.

[littlesnowy.livejournal.com]

Heavy duty plastic sacks, like the survival ones you get on DofE or the ones that animal feed comes in work great. Just make sure you avoid rocks.

[life-of-tom.livejournal.com]

That picture of Lou is very bless, somehow.

[glenatron.livejournal.com]

She has the Adventure Stick!

[life-of-tom.livejournal.com]

I hear those are sweet. What does it do?

[glenatron.livejournal.com]

It's a stave of blessness+1. Also handy for keeping your balance on slippery surfaces.

I don't know it's origin, but its old, has a spike on the bottom and has the names of various mountains inscribed around it, so I suspect it was some kind of camp marker or something for victorian mountaineers...

[gemmabowles.livejournal.com]

i wondered whether the ponies would get feed :) i thought they might treat them a little more wild-pony like and make them just get on with it.

[skiesfirepaved.livejournal.com]

Oh wow; I didn't realise quite how deep the snow is. Love the shot of the Exmoor ponies: they don't look at all coat with those fuzzy little coats! I can see where Pepsi gets her hardiness from. :)

Also, I'm a fan of Zorro's Bad face. Glad to see it again! :P

[glenatron.livejournal.com]

Today half of them were off down on the hill troffling through the snow for tasty snacks and seemed quite happy there. The whole heard is over on this side though- normally the little grey fellow lives on the far side of the valley.

[glenatron.livejournal.com]

Zorro is all about the bad face currently. He keeps trying to eat his halters. I should probably sort it cos he's starting to get sort of compulsive about it, but it is quite funny.

[gemmabowles.livejournal.com]

maybe grey pony was invisible to others in the snow??