Rebekah Housden: There is light at the end of the winter tunnel

As children open the doors on their advent calendars, farmers are counting down to something even more exciting than a visit from Santa – the shortest day.

Dreaded and longed for in equal measure, Sunday 21 December marks the point where things can only get better.

Bringing an extra 90 seconds a day, we will slowly but surely (and definitely enthusiastically) get back to working without head torches, getting up with the sun and, more importantly, better weather.

See also: Rebekah Housden – beer-related therapy (in moderation) can help

About the author

Rebekah Housden

Rebekah Housden is based at Roadhead in Cumbria, and has worked on a farm with 600 ewes for 11 years. She also shares a smallholding of 90 ewes. She is a first-responder, a parish clerk, runs a community bar and caters for rural weddings. 

Read more articles by Rebekah Housden

The past five weeks have brought enough rain in this area to have Noah putting the final touches to the ark.

We are lucky to be on high enough ground to not be at risk of flooding from any rivers, however the heavy clay ground is so waterlogged it is only possible to travel on foot.

Because of this, most of our ewes are inside by the middle of December, to save them wading through water in the search for sparse blades of grass, and also to reduce their potential fluke intake.

I imagine they breathe a sigh of relief to be able to lie somewhere dry for the first time since the end of October, and chew their cud without rain on their backs.

For us, however, this means more work with bedding and feeding, but certainly a lot fewer miles to walk.

In nature, animals hibernate to allow them to endure harsh conditions, by reducing activity which slows down their metabolism.

Some people act the same way. The bad weather stops us going out, we light the fire and take a more lethargic approach to life – blaming Christmas usually.

While the ewes won’t make new year’s resolutions after a surfeit of festive snacks consumed in front of the fire, they will save vital energy supplies which will prevent twin lamb disease.

And, when the time comes, this extra period of comfort will help to boost their performance after lambing.

In the meantime, farmers will work around Christmas, bringing in straw on their novelty jumpers and smelling of silage at the dinner table, heading out to the parlour during the King’s speech – carefully balancing festivities and farming duties.