Spring at Svoen; truly an example of the triumph of hope over experience!  I have always looked forward to spring, after the grey and dreary English winter, however I cannot describe to those of you not snow-bound throughout the winter months, the joy when the white blanket finally begins to recede. The first snowdrops in April are a welcome sight.  Not at Svoen, I hasten to add, but perhaps in the future I will be able to persuade a little colony to survive.  As signs of life begin to appear, you allow yourself to hope that now, spring is really here.  Unfortunately, this year extra snowfalls around Peter's birthday in the middle of April, and again at the beginning of May have put us behind somewhat.  Low temperatures (some days no more than 3 degrees) have meant that the grass is reluctant to grow, so the sheep and their lambs are still incarcerated in the barn.  I'm not sure who will be the happiest when they get turned out; them or us!

As release day for the sheep arrives, I thought I would post some pictures of the lambs.  Generally it all went very well this year, with the minimum of casualties.  We now have some nice lambs who spend their time skipping up and down the feed passage and playing leapfrog with each other.  It will be so nice to see them playing outside finally. 

Kay being very patient!

Now that the snow has gone we have been very busy burning branches and generally tidying up after cutting down the fir trees at the side of the house.  Other projects include ditching and fencing, so we will once again have a very busy spring/summer ahead of us.  For me, there are only another five weeks of school term left, and I am looking forward to the long summer holiday.  Still, no rest for the wicked.....

It's been a while since my last update; the first of April already!  Winter is not a particularly exciting time progress-wise.  There's not a great deal can be done outside with everything underneath one and a half metres of snow.  We have been lucky this winter to have a metre less snow than last year, but our hopes of an earlier spring have been dashed by a new delivery of snow this weekend.  Perhaps the weather gods are playing an April Fools joke on us?

In sheep news, at the end of January the girls had a scan to see how many lambs they are having.  It might sound a little odd, but it's definitely worth knowing for all kinds of practical, economical and other farmer-y reasons.  They've also had their winter shearing and their immunisations, and we're now a week away from the first ones lambing.  Most of the sheep are having two lambs, so we should be very busy over the next month.

Just before Christmas the house (first stage) was completed.  We've also finished cutting down the enormous fir trees at the side of the house, so already it feels like a completely new place!  My Easter project is now painting the window frames inside (among other things).

 The huge storm we had on Christmas Day, when we lost the electricity for nearly two days, sealed the fate of the fir trees.  The risk of one or more of them falling over in a storm and smashing through the house was too great, so down they came.

Despite the loss of the trees we're getting a lot of visitors to the bird feeder, which I can watch from the kitchen window.  We have daily visits by bluetits, great tits and coal tits, as well as occasional visits by chaffinches, greenfinches, jays and a robin.


Winter is also a good time to get on with some arts and crafts, so I have been making good use of my time.  Here is a collection of my projects.

A Rowan pattern I've had my eye on for ages.

Knitting project: a challenge in cable and lace patterns.

Leftover wool project.

"Tilda" sewing projects.

My own invention: a Bo Peep angel.

The 1950s sewing angel, minus accessories.

Full collection including sewing case, pin cushion and scissors case (my own invention).

Well, I must get on with painting the window frames now.  Downstairs is all complete, but I need to finish upstairs now.  Happy Easter, or, god påske.  Perhaps it might even stop snowing......