We had a gorgeous spontaneous day in the run-up to Christmas. My brother Phil came down to collect his daughter Áine from college. He suggested we meet somewhere for lunch. I rang around a few local well-known restaurants. There was no availability around lunchtime.

I said it to Tim that I couldn’t find a place for lunch. “Let’s go to Aunties,” he said. “No, need to book. We can just walk straight in.” I let my sister, Bernadine know that Phil and I were going to lunch and if any of them were free, they might like to join us. A bit of texting back and forth and pretty soon, I had a party of eight people.

Off to Aunties

We walked into Aunties which is the local pub and restaurant in Tower village, just a mile down the road from us. Tim especially likes it because he doesn’t have to dress up.

The working men and women often drop in there for lunch. It’s our go-to place on a busy farming day if there’s a big job that requires all hands on deck. The menu is extensive and the specials on the blackboard are Tim’s go-to option. I’m told the pints are top class too.

That day, the traditional turkey and ham was on offer on the blackboard along with roast lamb. I opted for the turkey and three people chose the lamb. The others delved into the menu. We had a lovely dinner and a great chat in a friendly atmosphere.

The proprietor, Dave O’Callaghan, stopped by to have a few words with us and there were lots of locals in and out. Dave and his team run a fine country pub and restaurant. The food is always top class and served quickly.

That day, the eight people in question dropped all tools to come to lunch. It was spontaneous and we enjoyed ourselves. Lovely things happen when families make an effort to come together.

The hardship of ice

The cold snap quietened us all and brought holiday merriment to an abrupt stop.

While the countryside was picturesque, the workload for farmers increased considerably as people struggled in the snow to keep animals fed and watered in icy conditions. I hardly saw Tim during the cold snap while he managed to keep water flowing, scrapers working, machines operating and animals happy.

We have heifers out wintering on hybrid rape, meal and silage. They are also being offered some grass as the rape is running out and it is better to change the diet gradually for them. I went along with Tim to see how they were doing.

The arrival of the jeep in the field was their cue to begin the walk up to the troughs for the daily offering of meal. Watching them coming, we assessed how they were doing. They were calm and walked steadily. They were also quiet which indicated that they were content.

I put my hand on one friendly heifer to find her warm under my palm. I don’t know why I expected her to feel cold which would be a disaster if she was indeed cold to the touch. Maybe it was because I was cold myself.

Food provides nourishment and digesting and that keeps animals warm. Farmers know how important it is to keep animals well fed during inclement weather.

Nevertheless, it is a challenge to get it all done when progress is so slowed with snow and icy conditions. We were glad to see the rain and the rapid thaw last Friday morning. It was still icy cold and the rain brought new challenges.