Ireland Snow Day!

Happy Snow Day off today if you're in Ireland!

Arctic Siberian winds are blowing in from the north east (emphatically referred to as "The Beast from the East"), chilling down most of Europe to sub-zero temperatures. The west of Ireland breathes a sigh of relief, because for once their coast is non taking the brunt of the storm! The temperatures started dropping towards 0C this weekend after a 'heat wave' last week with temps around 10C. So without further ado, here is your super official Ireland weather update over the last couple days!

Sunday was sunny, but cold at 3C. Everyone else is bundled up, and here's Neva...in a t-shirt.

Since it doesn't really get warm enough here to warrant ice cream, and the Irish won't pass up a treat opportunity, any time the sun shows up it's ice cream time, as far as Ireland is concerned. That's right, there are people in down coats waiting to get some ice cream!

I'm pretty sure the entire town of Bray was out that day, and Sammie wasn't going to miss out. She was strutting her stuff along the boardwalk, getting hemmed at hawed at, and sometimes even rubbed by passersby. Doggy heaven.

Monday we started stocking up on food as it was projected to snow for 5 days. Many grocery stores had empty shelves. Luckily, I use weird things like tahini, garlic infused olive oil, and peanut butter, so I was able to stock up. The organic fruit and veg were limited, but I got what I needed. We went back to Tesco on Tuesday, and there was almost nothing left in the fresh section, picked clean. I prepped multiple tupperwares of hummus, hard boiled eggs, boiled potatoes, and a vat of lentil soup, as power outages are also a possibility and we don't have a gas stove.

Tuesday morning : spitting

1C : Neva still dressed like this

Tuesday evening : starts coming down and sticking

Wednesday morning : our backyard

About 10 cm or 4" worth of snow

Dublin and Wicklow counties are said to get over 25cm (around 10") of snow by the end of tomorrow (Thursday), which is a lot for Ireland. Many schools are closed, including Neva's, so we celebrate Ireland's first snow day in a while.

First thing's first in our house, check on the chooks. In the early hours, only Henrietta was willing to venture out, and took temporary residence under the outdoor sink while trying to figure out what this strange substance that littered the ground was all about.

Filling the girls' bellies with fat pellets and hard seeds helps them stay warm in the cold temperatures.

Some are more adventurous than others! While Henrietta explores the white landscape, Chicken Middle and Big Red enjoy the comfort of their coop. We check their water and bedding every few hours just to make sure everyone is comfortable. So far, so good, and 2 eggs to show for today!

Even some of the local wildlife were looking for a reprieve from the cold. This Irish blackbird was saying hello to the chickens in their abode, and a tiny Irish robin came into the house somehow (Neva...). I picked her delicate body up gently to let her outside, she perched on my finger for a moment, and flew off. I hope they're all staying warm!

Once chooks are sorted, it's business time. The obligatory snowball fight begins!

Followed by the obligatory snowperson

Followed by obligatory snowball fight number two!

Aaaand again, no coat.

And with that, we are busying ourselves and enjoying each other's company with warm food, snow times, and indoor relaxing times. 

Neva moving her aloe plant clones away from the window. Hat inside? Oh brother, my backwards daughter!

Happy snow day from us all here in Ireland!