Saturday 30 March 2013

Easter Snow

This year Easter has been a bit different to previous years. As usual we've driven up to Scotland to visit my partner's parent's pony farm.
We have brought with us a bag of foil wrapped eggs for an Easter hunt on Sunday morning, we've played with the ponies and the little boys have been riding the same as last year.

The big difference is what no-one can fail to miss - the weather!

Before we arrived - the impassable driveway!
The roads being cleared just in time for us!
Grandma and Grandad live in the part of Britain most affected this time by the snow and the wind. Had Easter been a week earlier then we could have joined them in being trapped in the house for 3 days and nights with no power, battling the blizzards to feed the animals and playing board games by candlelight for entertainment. As big an adventure as it would have been, I think it's probably better that we turned up a week later, when the roads were cleared of abandoned cars, the shops have re-stocked, the wind has gone and we can watch the Dr Who special!


Fortunately the ponies aren't too bothered by the snow, and after being rescued from the blizzards and moved indoors last weekend, they're really pleased to be back outside - despite the snowdrifts! On some of the flatter and more sheltered fields there still isn't any grass to be found, so they've been having lunch delivered.
 One of the rewards for helping with the ponies is to get a ride. This is Leo - he's quite an old man now, but he's still very patient and ideal for the little children to ride. Both boys first sat on a Shetland Pony at less than 18 months old, so they're old hands now and supremely confident!
 All of the children have ridden the Shetland Ponies, but they're mainly too big now and luckily the ponies are taught to drive, pulling a carriage - but not in the snow!

Some other, smaller, creatures have been leaving tracks. Boy no.3 thought maybe it was a Pterosaur, but I think it was a much more modern type of bird!


Boy no.4 also left plenty of tracks, completely oblivious to the fact that actually he was running across a drift that is 8 feet deep in places - and we can't follow him because we're too heavy! I sent my other half off to rescue him while I stood a safe distance back. Boy no.3 in the foreground is standing on a 3 foot high stone wall, something I don't think he'll understand even when he sees the comparison photo's.


With the ponies back outside one of the main jobs has been to dig out and repair the electric fences ~ something the smaller children can't really help with, although they very much enjoyed running about feeling as if they were useful!

 

After work comes play ~ and we've really tried to make the most of it. Snowdrifts are brilliant for mini sledge runs for small people!

Why build one snowman when you can build an entire army?

Ice hole!
Our ice hole is still there, but it isn't big enough for Grandad or our youngest child to sit in any more. Sadly our snow is melting, but we really have had an Easter to remember forever and we haven't even had any eggs yet!

I hope that you have as much fun as we have had. Happy Easter!


Photo credits to Grandad - who is an excellent photographer, has his camera almost permanently grafted to his shoulder and took the first 6 photo's! 

42 comments:

  1. I love this post, you make the snow look such an adventure! Down in Cornwall we haven't had any at all, in fact I am a little sun burnt from being outside and showing our new guests in today. How crazy our country is? Glad the ponies are thriving, they look very happy there with plenty of hay. I hope you enjoy the rest of your holiday. Thank you for joining me on Country Kids.

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    1. Thank you! Thanks for having me. I did think it was stark contrast that your post this week is about spring flowers and sunshine :D

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  2. Wow the pony photo is beautiful!! Looks very Narnia in the first pic!

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    1. I have to confess that Grandad took some of the photo's, including the dancing pony one! He really is an excellent photographer :)

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    1. Thank you hon - it's easier when you have such a beautiful scene to work with :)

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  4. Love the snow army and the snow hole! You had so much fun

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    1. We really have, it's been fantastic! We keep rebuilding the snow army, but they keep melting and then their heads roll down the hill! :D

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  5. Wow looks like you have had an amazing time in all that snow. It's dry down here in Wales, it has snowed a few days this week but it didn't stick. I love the army of snowmen and the children look like they have been having a lot of fun in the snow hole and with the ponies - what a magical place :)

    Laura x

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    1. We are really lucky. We live in North Manchester and had no snow at all there, so the children were all really excited following the weather reports for days before we came up here to see their Grandparents. It is magical, that's spot on :)

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  6. Hey what amazing photos. Your Easter may not be warm but it certainly looks like FUN :0) I found this post via Country Kids from Coombe Mill link up. Happy Easter.

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    1. Thank you - at least it's warm inside by the fire :)
      Happy Easter to you too!

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  7. Beautiful pics! I would say I'm envious, but this winter's been sooo long that even the thought of a snowy rural idyll no longer tempts me. I just want it to warm up! Glad you had such a great time though.

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    1. Awww, you certain you wouldn't fancy a bit of sledging in the morning? No, fair enough. Happy Easter :D

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  8. Wow. Just wow. Where they on Jeremy Vines show about the snow?

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    1. It really is WOW! Every time I look out o the window or open the door I'm still surprised there's any snow still there!
      They weren't specifically on Jeremy Vine - and nor did they hear it as they had no power at the time! :D

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  9. such fantastic snowy photos! i am glad not to have had any BUT your photos are really good and it looks like you all made the most of the conditions. love the ice hole

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    1. Thank you! I so loved the ice hole - I really wanted to dig a tunnel under a long drift, but common sense and a fear of a cave in prevailed :D

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  10. That snow is unbelievable!! So much fun for them though. Definitely a good thing you avoided the power cut with the kids!

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    1. I think you're probably right. Children are not used to total darkness, and the teenage girls would have been devastated to not be able to have a shower! :D

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  11. Wow! Every photo just told a story! Love the Shetland ponies, the snow army! So brilliant to capture all those memories.

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    1. Thank you! It is one of the best things about blogging - you have a diary there full of memories :)

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  12. Wow - love all the pictures and snow looks awesome!! My 2 are always craving snow especially when they hear about it on the weather forecast but we haven't seen any yet this year :-( And how cute are those horses?? Your children are so lucky to ride them. :-)

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    1. We are just really lucky. It rarely snows up here, usually it's them coming down to us in Manchester and playing in our 2cms of snow... :D
      The ponies are incredibly cute - even better when there are babies :)

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  13. Absolutely amazing snowfall, the things you've got to are amazing as well. I love that snow hole, the photograph of the pony cavorting through the snow is amazing and I can't believe that the snow was so deep in places.

    Nipping over from Country Kids.

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    1. Aw thank you! It was well worth the drive, I wish we had snowdrifts like that here! :D

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  14. Oh my! Look at all the snow! Looks like they had an excellent time :)

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    1. I take it you didn't get that much snow then! It really was excellent, hope you had fun down here while we were gone! :)

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  15. aww what lovely photos!we used to have a beautiful cheeky shetland pony called Barney! :)

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  16. I thought our snow had drifted alot, but you have quite a few bare patchs compared to drifts. Our's is going now, but most of my garden is still covered.

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    1. It was at the Grandparents and we were there a week. It went from 8 foot drifts to 3 foot by the time we went home, but at it's peak they had 15foot drifts and bare patches elsewhere! Sounds like you had lots though! :)

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  17. Wow!! i'm so jealous of that snow!!! looks like you guys had an amazing time. xx

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    1. We really did - thank you! Made a lot of memories :)

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  18. Now that's what I call snow! What lovely pictures, the one of the horse running through the snow is amazing!

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    1. Thank you! It is a fantastic shot - and it is one of Grandad's!
      The ponies really were delighted to be back outside :D

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  19. Wow, so much snow!! Looks like you had a great time, loving the 'army' of snowmen. What a great thing to do every year. We love Scotland and try and get up to see family at least once a year!

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    1. It is really gorgeous. In 7 years it's the first time I've seen snow up there, and they've lived in that house for 25 years and never had it anything like that :)

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  20. Wow, that was a lot of snow! It looks like you had a lot of fun with it though - love the photos of the ponies, snow army and snow hole. We've had a lot of snow this winter, and I'm afraid that I haven't embraced it quite so successfully :)

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    1. Thank you! I think if it had gone on for a long time then we wouldn't have enjoyed it so much, but for one week it was absolutely magical! :)

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