It has been cold.....

..But not as cold as in the Little Ice Age when the sea froze over and helped to change the course of history..... In the mid 1600s Sweden was a great military power at war against several European countries - not least Denmark. When the Baltic Sea froze over in December 1657 the Danish fleet became trapped in the ice; Sweden's King Charles X Gustav daringly marched his army across the frozen straits, catching the Danes by surprise. Within 2 weeks Copenhagen was under siege and by February Denmark sued for peace, losing a third of its territory whilst Sweden gained its present lands in the Peninsula.

We've come off pretty lightly by comparison: last week England shivered at -12C, Berlin froze in - 21C and Kiev recorded - 23C. Ice skaters were out on the frozen canals of the Netherlands, 29cm of snow fell in Marseilles, Milan staggered under 30cm and the ski industry laughed all the way to the bank!

Closer to home, troughs and taps froze, automatic drinkers (indoors as well as out) siezed up and the landscape became a winter wonderland as hoar frost and freezing mists shrouded everything with an eerie greyness..

... Into which last Thursday 'Babe' delivered possibly the strangest phenomena of the cold snap: 15 delightful 'allsorts'. Babe is the delightful Mr Barclay's (he of Abbey Farm - Polly et al) prize Gloucester Old Spot x Large White Sow. She was brought up 'with the family'; as a youngster, used to roam the gardens and come to call. A few months back she came into season and only Tang - Polly's Blonde Mangalitza husband - was available to mate with her. Well, he didn't mind that one bit. Did the deed - (he being small and she being tall, this required Babe to be stood in a kind of deep ditch) - and off he went.

3 months, 3 weeks and 4 (! not the normal 3) days later she delivered her singular brood. As far as we are aware they are the only ones of their kind in the whole wide world: half of them are mainly pink but the other half are hairy, stripey and spotty! What will they grow up to be? Nobody knows for sure: perhaps the pink ones will grow up with curly coats? And the stripey ones will keep their spots? What will they be called? Watch this space......

Meanwhile, oblivious of such strange happenings, Polly's piglets are growing up and thriving in their secure, warm quarters. The future looks bright for the Abbey Farm Curly Coat herd.....

And today it is raining for the first time in a month. So life returns to normal....