|
When frosty winds made moan |
|
|
|
Written by Nigel
|
|
Monday, 07 January 2008 |
|
Gott Nytt År [Happy New Year] Everyone.
It’s looking beautiful here at Alledal; we had our first real snow of the winter on New Years Day. The temperature dropped, yesterday was the first day of the New Year that was above freezing. The cold winds coming in from the Baltic made it feel even colder, wind adjusted the temperature here has been as low as -11°C. It’s the kind of weather that makes you want to curl up somewhere with a hot drink. Of course that’s just not possible. The animals still need attention despite the weather and so our routine remained the same.
 I have to say that weather seems to have little effect on the livestock. I kept the goats inside the barn, they don’t like the cold and with the grass covered there would be little for them to graze on outside anyway. The birds were allowed the choice inside or out and even in the worst of the weather they chose to sit outside. They just fluffed up and with the head tucked under their wings. They could have walked inside the barn where they retire at night and had shelter, but they preferred the outdoor life. The temperatures also seem to have had little if any effect on the geese. I have to admit they seem quite immune to cold, maybe it’s because they are wrapped up in there own goose down insulation.
The baby goats born just before Christmas are growing really quickly and go running and bouncing around the barn, jumping over the adults who just look on with good natured humour. The babies don’t seem to care which of the mothers they suckle from and the mothers don’t seem to worried either it’s lovely to see them sharing the responsibility. Blåblomme is due to kid this week, on Friday I think. Judging by the size of her it will be another set of twins. I’m hoping for girls, we’ve already decided the two boys we have will be used for meat in the spring. It was a hard decision to make but I am a meat-eater and I want/need to take more responsibility for that. I will be able to know that the two buck kids will have had the best life possible. That’s more than I can say for any meat I buy from supermarkets. Even the organic and free-range labels are no guarantee of quality of life.
 I wonder how your Christmas was. Ours was quiet, the way I like it to be. It was actually a little quieter than usual. Steph was feeling a little under the weather and so we just never got around to cooking and eating some of the things we normally would. It wasn’t a big deal and having him around for three weeks was really nice, especially after the amount of time he spent away in December. The TV though was awful, there were some highlights like the Dr Who Christmas special [Yes, I know this makes me a geek] but for the most part it was none descript. I saw a new adaptation of Oliver Twist, written with a twist – if you’ll pardon the pun. Now the rewriting major literary works if a bugbear of mine, I wonder at the hubris of those who adapt for television. Does Sarah Phelps honestly think she has added anything to the Dickens original? It seems to be a reoccurring theme in TV/cinema today. I appreciate there are things that can be written and imagined that cannot be reproduced on film and that adaptations have to be made. There are subplots and minor characters that can be pruned leaving the story line virtually intact but the rewriting of characters and major changes to the plot, how can these be a major improvement to works of literature that have stood for over a hundred years and in some cases much longer, I’m thinking of the tragedy that was Troy. There are people who would never pick up a book and the screen will be there only familiarity with these classic works. Surely they are entitled to see a fair representation. Without the spiritual and supernatural elements which were expunged from the movie version we are left with a poorer and paler version. Surely Homer’s Iliad – the oldest work of European Literature deserves better and quite frankly so do we. |
|
Last Updated ( Monday, 07 January 2008 )
|
