Northernlights

Managed to lift some neeps today to top up the store for February.Only by the skin of our teeth as frost had relented quite a bit yesterday but had returned overnight. Ground engaging disc suffered a bit with several lumps of frozen earth showing three inches of frost. Frost really digging in late in the afternoon so the cost of a new disc is worth it just to have some more feed secured.Currently -2c and falling. Its going to be a cold night. Heaters turned on in all the vulnerable areas. We have now had a week of frost and the hills round the Firth are getting whiter by the day so winter has really arrived and is not in a hurry to leave.

Stunningly cold today with a very strong wind with a maximum of 4c.Mostly dry and overcast. A lot of the frost came out of the ground.however.

After a really dreich morning a fine sunny afternoon developed. A bit of thawing going on this afternoon but ground still very slippy with about two to three inches of frost Frost coming down again just now and currently 1c

After a great frosty start to the night rain came in earlier this morning and coated the ground with ice. Currently overcast and 3c

Fabulous day here blue skies and sunshine and a maximum of 3c in the afternoon with frost digging in all day in the shade. Most of our non farming neighbours were round the farm for a walk in such calm quiet conditions.

Just a few flakes here but ground starting to freeze up in 0c wind .Just been out and can see snow showers highlighted round the Firth by the moon. Also ironically we have a blanket of snowdrops under the horsechestnut shimmering in the moonlight just as winter temperatures arrive.

Yes very November like today dark, dreich and cold.Temperature down to 2c and we have constant sleet falling after a showery morning. Peased we are onto inside straw for bedding as it is nice and dry and just smells like harvest when you open them. Its good to get a reminder of warm sunny days at this time of year.

Currently clear and-1c here this morning and Ben Wyvis across the Firth has a significant snow cap.

A much cooler feel this afternoon with some wintry looking showers coming across the Firth. The yellow streamers from these showers suggest snow above 2500 feet. Currently 5c

Technically I am a Cockney Londoner born within the sound of Bow Bells but my father was born on this farm and we have a family history on this farm going back at least 300 years as tenants so you can see i am a bit of a conundrum

Technically we are growing swedes the variety being Invitation and surprisingly this year we have had the highest yields ever. Yes the varieties will be different in the shops probably lower dry matter so not so frost hardy.They are also sown thickly on wide beds and not rows to keep the size down.

Another almost dry day here . Young Mr. Northernlights taking off stones again and I am not stopping him if its about to get wetter.This is a job normally done in late March early April as ground dries up but ground has been dry for months so might as well be ahead of the game. This last week has been great too for getting routine testing for TB and B.V.D done in the cattle Artic lorry in with load of feed yesterday road dry so no danger of getting stuck in mud. Stiil got a store of neeps so weather could get nasty for a month if it likes but will try to lift a few loads of neeps sometime soon to top up store. Currently slight rain and 9c.

Another fine day after a frosty start at -1c. Picked the last lettuce today in the garden plus some radishes under glass sown in early October both very good. Have carrots, cabbage and parsnips left in abundance. Also picked some very big neeps to weigh for a biggest neep competition.Last summer produced a few surprises in the garden and on the farm. Also the first snowdrops are flowering so snow can"t be far away can it?

Felt more seasonal today and we finally had a NW wind after all these weeks of southerlly ones. Some light wintry looking showers coming in off the Firth with some blue sky in between. Currenltly mostly cloudy and 6c.

Fine start to the day but has got progressively stormier culminating in an eight inch diameter bough being broken off a tree in some recent violent gusts.Got cattle all tested for TB before it got too bad.Currently strong wind, sharp showers and 7c

Yes just the same here dry dull and calm today. Young Mr Northernlights taking stones off fields today in dusty surface conditions. Will we begin sowing at the end of February this year? Currently 6c Speaking to an old ghillie today and he said they had to wait till September last year to get enough water in the river Findhorn to get fish to run but that it turned into an excellent last month of the season. We also discussed prospects for this year and both of us are already concerned about the lack of rainfall /snowfall in the hills for fishing prospects and also for farming on the southside of the Moray Firth. One consolation we both agreed on that winter has only really just started up here with at least 3 months of winter left on low ground and up to 4 months on the hills with spring snow much more likely than autumn snow.

Sky became even clearer as the day went on and the frost has started to set in harder in shaded areas. Currently -0.5c

Just come back from the steading over a very dusty surface . The lack of rain here this winter still very noticeable and my concerns for next summer if it is dry grow with every passing week of dry weather.A few northerly based winds and plenty of snow showers would help in the next couple of months.All these south winds fail to deliver any rain here due to the rain shadow effect of the Cairngorms. Curently 2c and sunny with a slight ground frost.

See there are a line of snow showers across NE Scotland on the radar just now with one just to east of me south of Forres/Elgin, Currently overcast and 4c

Much more seasonal this morning at 5c with a fresh NW wind and overcast.

Typical just as we are about to wander down to our little community bonfire there is a fresh wind from the NW with the temperature now down to 6c and falling. Full winter gear on tonight.! See the odd light shower on the radar to the north has turned to snow on the mountains to the north.

Another springlike day with a strong west wind and sunny intervals. Lots of washing hung out by Mrs Northernlights as I told her tomorrow will be cooler with less drying conditions. Currently 12c. Calves racing up and down the newly bedded fold just now feeling good.Almost no coughing so pneumonia vaccine must have worked well. A Happy New Year to everyone.

Funnily enough Hairy Celt estate planted lots of trees alongside the side road boundaries of their fields about 18 years ago and most of them are now growing away from the prevailing wind into some fairly obscure shapes. Just an indication of how exposed we are to wind from most points of the compass.Great place to make hay in summer however. Still 10c and the surface of the ground getting dusty in the fresh drying wind . RH currently 40%

Fine day again with washing drying well, almost unheard of in late December. Just put sheep ino field behind house and steading onto about four inches of green grass and all they can do is lift the gates off the hinges for fun and escape.Watched them doing it this morning.Just a bored bunch of teenagers with full stomachs. Could also be that they are sensing a change in the weather as field is completely without shelter to the north!! Currently breezy , overcast and 11c

The switch from winter to summer in mid April was the most interesting event on the farm when muddy fields became dusty in a week here followed by the extreme dry weather for most of this year. We missed out on any snow in February /March on SE winds. Had to to start feeding cattle winter forage in July because pastures were so burnt up. We had a very early harvest similar to 1975/76 and 2003 starting on the 5th of August and finishing on the 12th of August. Hay sales for horses peaked in March when we broke all previous records selling all the stocks built up in the previous five years. We had another sales record broken in August when horse owners panicked that hay yields in spite of superb quality were low and there would not be enough to see them through the winter and were stocking up months ahead of normal. Spring barley sown late in mid April went from germinating to ear emergence in under 7 weeks another all time record We still have a two inch soil moisture deficit here .We have seen almost no mud since mid April and the soil surface is still dusty in parts although a bit of grass. grew in the autumn as we got some showery rain and we were able to keep cattle out till the first week in December ( another record) My biggest concern for next year is that we will not get enough rain over the rest of the winter to survive another dry summer. 2018 another year that confirms that extreme weather is becoming the norm.No more three fine days and a thunderstorm in the summer its usually too wet or as has happened this year too dry