Despite the wintery weather hitting the UK hard in the New Year followed closely by Storm Goretti, bringing more snow to the already struggling communities, I consider myself to be extremely lucky ….. so far.

Whilst I appreciate the saying “don’t count your chickens before they hatch”, I am feeling quite smug, safe in our little microclimate, having not experienced more than a light fluttering of snowflakes that have provided the picture-perfect scenery without the problems. My husband, on the other hand, says he feels quite cheated. He loves nothing more than donning his outdoor gear and shovelling snow, and I am pretty sure had we bought the farm in Goathland we had been considering prior to our move here, that is exactly what he would have been doing for the next few weeks, considering how much of the white stuff has been dumped on the North York Moors over the last week or so.

Of course it is only the beginning of January, and I am fully aware that we still have weeks left of winter, so I won’t rest too easy on my laurels at this stage. For now though, I am counting my blessings that the ponies and donkeys can still enjoy time in the paddocks, stretching their legs whilst enjoying the winter sunshine, and the goats, pigs and sheep can enjoy the hard ground without being up to their knees in mud.

The frozen water buckets, with their inches of ice, are a small price to pay when you can muck out the stables, feed round and carry out routine jobs on the smallholding whilst remaining warm and dry. All I have needed so far is a good pair of Wellington boots lined with neoprene – an absolute game changer in winter – a couple of layers of warm clothing and my trusty coverall from 3 Donkeys Clothing.

Sheep and donkeys in the paddock

Pygmy goats

Huxley and Dolly

With the mild temperatures in December and the dry weather so far in January, I know how lucky we are that winter has been kind to us so far. I really cannot believe that the North York Moors and the East Coast have been blanketed with snow, and yet, despite being less than an hour’s drive away, we have mostly been spared.

Don’t get me wrong, I love nothing more than a snow day: walking the dogs in a winter wonderland and enjoying snowball fights, which I always seem to lose. However, the fun is short-lived when you have a smallholding and animals that rely on you to keep them warm and well fed.

So I will spare a thought for those around the country that have had battles on their hands this past week or so, particularly the fellow smallholders and farmers, and thank my lucky stars that, for now at least, I can admire the snow-capped hills from afar whilst enjoying my relatively snow-free environment on the smallholding.

Jasper enjoying outdoor fun

You can find Allison on Instagram countryliving_writer or visit her website here