November Snow in Dorset

Saturday was a pleasant enough day; it had been dry for a while so I was able to give the lawn at Muddy Carrot HQ its last mow before winter.  That evening we went to watch the fireworks over Lyme Bay and enjoy a bonfire on Lyme Regis beach, appreciating the clear night sky with just a gentle breeze - not too cold.



Then Sunday dawned.  It had rained quite heavily overnight, and as the grey light dawned the noisy spatter of rain softened yet the drops were getting bigger and falling more slowly. Yuk - sleet.  But within minutes the sleet got whiter and thicker and started to settle.  It was hard to believe yet within less than an hour there were over two inches of snow, and still it came!
 

Wasting no time, the children donned hats, gloves and waterproofs and were straight out there making snow angels and rolling big snowballs to make lumpy people and animals.  The sun even came out for a couple of hours - it was like being in a ski chalet!  Our Angora goats came outside to explore, seeming a little nonplussed by this turn of events.

 Then it was all over as quickly as it started.  By tea time we'd had rain, and all that was left was a few patches of slush in the shady corners.  To quote the cook from Nanny McPhee, "there'll be snow in August next!"

Mud, Mud, glorious Mud!

We've had some great entries to our this months mud competition.  Here are a few of the highlights of the October Competition...

Pigs being part of the local soil

Pigs have proved popular with their muddy antics, let's face it you can't have a muddy photo competition without featuring some pigs.  Peter Bryant sent us a cracking image of his pigs enjoying a bit of mud and Carole Williams sent a  spectacular photo of her Pedigree Tamworth Pig, Spartacus, smiling happily as he enjoys a lovely mud bath!  You could meet this wonderful character by attending one of The Husbandry School's fantastic courses in Devon.

Pumpkin Season

Being Halloween we could hardly miss out on these knobbly (though not so muddy) pumpkins sent in by Paul Woodmin.  Lovely photo, I hope they got put to some good use!

The Big Dig

Thank you Hester Jones for this picture taken at Vale Farm north London as part of The Big Dig -  of this lovely white dog  who volunteered to help dig; getting just the tips of his paws mucky.  We love his total involvement helping to push the fork in!!  A really good effort and in aid of a really good cause, bringing clean water to thousands in rural Malawi.

Festive Fun

Mud and festivals seem to go together. Sarah shared this picture of her legs when she got back from Download festival this year and removed her socks - that was one muddy festival!

You may need longer wellies next year.