Northernlights

Down to 0.5c now and grass sparkling

Showery am no dung spreading to wet, turnip competition measured yield am but ploughing up old grass all day so a bit getting done in this dryer area of Scotland. ground fog just now plus clear sky so maybe a ground frost later. Currently 4c.

Overcast but dry above frost still coming out of the ground. Surface very sticky so no field work for a few days yet Very humid at 8c. First calf treated for pneumonia in spite of having two vaccines at 11.00pm last night again by vet as shot used earlier was a bit weaker so the stronger stuff has to be administered by vet as it is fatal to humans. Up and eating this morning so a good result. This weather is very hard on the lungs.

No fieldwork today as frost still coming out so surface very muddy and sticky. Started off with patchy cloud. 5c but ground cold enough for a patchy ground frost and even thin fresh ice on some puddles. Load of concentrate feed blown in this afternoon. First calf inside with pneumonia so off to vets for a shot for it In spite of being vaccinated this terrible wet humid frosty weather gives the lungs a very hard time.

Off to see an, old agri college pal south of Aberdeen yesterday and as we approached Aberdeen you could see snow showers over the north sea . Some made landfall where we were and it remained cold and frosty. High cloud was approaching from the west bit remained cold all the way home to 10.00pm. I felt the cold was putting up a bit of a fight so would not be surprised to see it back fairly soon ,Still icy today but wet surface breezy and 5c

Couple of photos Ben More Frozen muddy fields

Clearing from the west this afternoon to reveal Ben More in Sutherland with a heavy coat of snow. Ground starting to freeze up again as the sky cleared.

Horrible dreich day at 0.5c with lethal icy surface conditions consisting of frozen hail and sleet. Doing paperwork just not worth the risk of doing anything outside

its been a fairly severe spell of cold and everything is very chilled so much so that although we reached only 1c this afternoon whenever the sky cleared frost returned and temperature fell to -1c. We seem to be cold till late Wednesday now and I feel even Thursday and Friday will be chilly as frost comes out of the ground. It will cool very quickly again if cold upper air returns.

0c and patchy cloud. Overnight hail and sleet have covered every surface in rime. Very dangerous for us oldies

Reverse psychology.!!!!!

-1c high today so third ice day in a row . Currently clear starry skies and -2c. Wonder if this is all the winter we will get ? My neighbour who has a contracting business took one of his diggers up to remove a couple of big stones off the fields this afternoon. Soil is frozen to a depth of 2 to 3 inches .One big stone digger could not lift was easily pushed out of the field on the hard icy surface leaving hardly a mark so good day for the job compared to when fields were saturated a week ago

Clear and -8c currently.

Maximum of -1c today again so second ice day. Fabulous sunshine and snow showers on the horizon over the sea almost motionless. A real reminder of December 2010 Delivering hay at Findhorn today the bay starting to freeze on the shoreline fresh water from the river Findhorn? Currently -4c

-7c start to the day with bright sunshine.

Finally a clear frosty morning at -1c after the last few days heavy sleet .Should make for easier walking with mud frozen up. Contractors started taking down wood next to powerlines on farm road this week. Really makes me feel old as second time in my life its been clear felled. We now have a great view of Ben Wyvis in the morning as you go out the back door. Never fails to impress me the effect on the landscape of taking down a wood.

Another wet sleety morning here very cold at 1c Cows and calves smiling inside the folds. Will be horrendous ice if this lot freezes tonight water pouring across side roads from fields. Must have been heavy sleet all night.

Just a dusting this morning here followed by heavy sleet showers all day. Very raw so took in cows and calves for winter instead of this coming weekend.⁰ 2 pneumonia vaccines for calves Hoping we will get a few days of cold to stop them sweating when they are newly inside . Humidities should drop off a bit round New Year and that helps the lungs as well. Ploughing old grassland today stubble too wet. .

Some very heavy showers this morning Nice rainbow Fabulous parsnips in garden. On sous chef duty for young Mr Northernlights birthday tea

A bit milder this morning at 5c with a fresh NNE wind off the Firth blowing in a few showers which are falling as sleet or snow inland from here. Raking more leaves at the weekend and they are mostly in the garden and not in the fields due to the frequency of north and east winds this autumn .

-2c first thing now glorious winter sunshine blue skies calm currently 3c and frosty in shade on the ground

Sky finally cleared of cloud but no sign of aurora. Was 5c earlier this evening under cloudy skies but currently -1c

Eyesight going too? Machine arrived to cut trees down at end of farm road. A road was cut for it by hand chainsaw to gain access to trees next to electric line. Was told they were just going to cut trees only on both sides of farm track .Coming back to cut rest in January Something about a haulage dispute Even SSE guy said if we get a big gale from the right direction they will all be down before then with opening created. Dangerous too for anyone walking nearby. Currently overcast and 4.5c

2 very windy drying days and a free draining field allowed us to get a store of neeps up. today Funny how you can get so excited just to see tractors working in fields after weeks of wet weather stopped all field work. My grass seed man was in today lots of tales of woe with acres of winter wheat not sown because of wet fields and unharvested tatties Fields that had been sown have flooded areas rotted away. Spring sown cereal seed sold out at the end of October as autumn sowing was abandoned 8n favour of spring sowing.Hope it does not freeze to hard next week and allows a bit of ploughing..9c this morning and currently 5c

Exactly the same here Put wintering sheep into fresh field yesterday and they are still finding mud to splash through making them look less than white