Very cold & have lost all my ducks :0(

Unfortunately have now lost all ducks to the fox, he has been coming during the day and taking one or two a day. Peanut my favorite muscovy has now gone too.

So I had 10 ducks and 22 hens, I now have 7 hens left, so I have moved the chicken house to just outside the kitchen door to save what I have left. Bastard fox.

December & SNOW!!!

So far December has been a hard month, so much snow. It's very beautiful, but very, very cold.

Our boiler started leaking oil and has been broken for 3 weeks, thanks to a very lazy, dishonest plumber. It's not fun having no hot water or heating when the temperature has been down to -18. We are relying on electric heaters which cost a fortune to run and aren't doing a particularly good job anyway as the house is so cold.

The hens & ducks have stopped laying eggs now, the animals are all cold & the water is constantly frozen.

The horses have been in the stables every night out of the blizzards, they seem happy and content to take a break from the weather. Although this has meant mucking out every morning, my most hated job! no riding either in knee deep snow, so it's all work and no play.

Thank god for the Aga though, it never lets me down and it makes the kitchen the warmest room in the whole house. We all get dressed in front of it, I heat up the water for everything on it, it cooks the food, dries and irons the washing, dries the snowy boots and clothes and keeps us all toasty when all else fails :0)

I look forward to cooking our Christmas dinner in it....