FEBRUARY 2012

Looking out of the window  what can you say.  It had to happen at some stage and now here it is.  FROST AND SNOW.

We really have been very lucky so far with only one day cancelled by the end of January, and this was cancelled due to the wet conditions and not the cold etc.,

It is sometimes very difficult to explain to people why a day has to be cancelled when they are looking out of their window at bright sunshine and you are walking the draws for the following  day in the pouring rain and you are less than 20 miles away. The one thing we must al remember is that we only hunt by kind permission of the landowners and if  conditions underfoot are really wet etc we go home muddy but they have to look at churned up headlands, fields and tracks for the next 6 months. This is why we are always on your case about keeping in and keeping damage to a  minimum.

Now the weather had turned to ice and snow we have the health and safety issues.  Yes the sun thaws out the frost during the day, but not from under the hedgerows and shaded country lanes.  How many times have you trotted down a lane and reached a shady spot and the up until then safe dry road, becomes an ice rink. If there is a good covering of snow we will always try to go on foot if possible, but to go without the snow can cause major damage to the hounds pads where they get sliced by the sharp ground which leaves us short of hounds when we start again properly.

Still, back tot he kennels.    Robert and Lorraine are coping well with the cold conditions.  It is always challanging when you have livestock and cold weather, frozen water taps and yards like ice rinks.   Apart from this though the horses and hounds look a picture.  We have 4 litters of pups due at the end of the month so anyone who is able to puppy walk please contact Robert asap so he can plan ahead to when these pups will go out to walk.