Every year at midwinter, a feeling of tranquility descends upon the farm; a period of calm. Peaceable, with a muffled noiselessness that comes with a dusting of light snow. Breathtakingly beautiful, picture perfect outdoors – and anything but indoors!
At our farm in Yorkshire, the main living room is bedecked with lights, the mantel festooned with holly and pine cones, a cheery fire always burns in the grate. This is where, in winter, terriers lounge, recumbent lambs warm, calves recuperate, sheepdogs breathe their last, bread is proved and even babies are born. Home is where the hearth is.
There will be little tidy or orderly about it, with homemade paper garlands and decorations and the busiest, most chaotic Nativity scene ever. Not only will there be the familiar faces of…