And I am very glad I did wear my winter draws - and vest - when I attended the Oxford Conference this week. By the time I bailed out at about 11am on the second day, Wednesdy, (my apologies to the speakers on after that but I felt I was in danger of being snowed in) to catch a series of three trains back to Norfolk, there was at least nine inches of snow in Oxford and it was still snowing. For the record the trains were delayed but the journey was not too bad and with changes I made it in just under five hours. I reckon it would have taken that in a car with road conditions the way they were and at least I could doze and read on the trains.
Back here in Norfolk on Wednesday evening there was nothing like as much snow as further west. But this morning I woke to find there had been about six inches overnight. Virtually every school in the county was closed and both road and rail transport were disrupted. I congratulated myself on getting home last evening.
Then I got a message from the livery yard that one of our workers had slid into a bank on the way into work and damaged his car. Could I collect him in my 4x4? I went and although the snow made me take it slowly I was fine and stable. The trouble was other motorists. Few, it seemed to me, had any idea how to drive on slippery surfaces. Most were revving and sliding and the biggest danger was other cars, out of control, smashing into me.
Anyway, we completed the thirty mile round trip without serious incident and got the livery worker here to do his job. Now, as soon as I have finished writing this, I have to take him home again. I just hope the horse owners appreciate the trouble we go to on their behalf.
Farming wise I am not too unhappy at the way the weather has turned. We got virtually all our ploughing done before Christmas, having completed autumn cereal drilling well before that. We do have a few more sugar beet to lift out of light land but none in clamp where they can suffer frost damage. The covering of snow should protect those still in the ground from too much damage. Otherwise I think the cold spell will do good to the soil, kill of some pests and ensure we are able to make excellent seedbeds for spring crops.