Sue Woodcock: Winter slowly slackens its grip, but it's still a bleak time for wildlife

Our wonderful local farmer kindly ploughed the road but the drifts blocked my gate. I was about to start moving tons of snow to clear the gate when he miraculously appeared with the snow plough and dug me out. I was able to open the gate and, with some help from him, finally got down to the house with my car and was then able to unload the shopping and get it into the house.

Every day I have been discovering dead rabbits who have starved and frozen despite my attempts to help them. There are still a few left and now the thaw has started I hope they will improve. Hens have refused to lay and the sheep and goats have assured me they are starving, despite copious amounts of hay and proven.

As the temperature became warmer the mist arrived. Everything was a white haze and, as darkness fell, there was an eerie half light that seemed to emanate from the ground. It was quite spooky. Occasionally I could look up at a bright blue sky but could not see more than ten metres on ground level. The nights were odd, too. One evening there was a single bright star or planet with a golden crescent moon beneath it and a yellow light hugging the ground.

I have had several days when I have retreated in to the warm house when the chores were done and attempted to tidy. It is easy to become quite depressed when the weather is relentless and dull. I cannot allow myself to get down or I would feel like giving up, so I have tried to keep busy.

Last month the tax office took almost all of my monthly pension which they have admitted was an error, but told me they cannot rectify it until April. Consequently I have had to try and sort out returned direct debits and it is costing me a great deal in penalties.

Their reply to my complaint was incomprehensible gobbledegook and I am having to exist on nothing until it is sorted out. Thank goodness I have acquired sufficient supplies to last a while.

Having got my car down to the house, I was happily unloading when I was a little startled to hear a man's voice coming from the direction of the mire. I looked up to see a party of walkers struggling through the deep snow towards me. I would think twice about venturing in there at the moment and I know the safer bit. He apologised for being on my private land but explained they had missed their way and decided to head for the safety of the road by the most direct route they could see.

When they all finally extracted themselves I checked they were all right and they declined a hot drink and with much relief, made it to the lane. I had pointed out to them where they were on their map and they were elated; they had thought they were much further from the village.

The thaw is coming slowly. The ground is still frozen and icy but at last there is some grass emerging.

The drifts over the walls are diminishing slowly and the snow is soft and slushy. The whole place looks a muddy mess. The meltwater is flowing steadily in a hundred little streams into the mire and down the lane to the village. My water buckets are displaying huge ice lumps and the icicles are going. They drop like crystal spears from the gutters and pile up on the ground to melt slowly. The road is now navigable and I am no longer marooned. I have at least managed to finish knitting a sweater from my rare breed wool and it is very warm.

At last my well has unfrozen and I have washed up a huge pile of crocks and cutlery that had accumulated. Then I will do some washing of clothes that I have also had to put on hold. I did manage to get out and see friends who offered me a hot bath.

As I write, I am looking out on a drab, white and misty day with patches of snow and swathes of green grass looking damp and sad. I let the cats out of the front bedroom and they headed outside. Before long they were back, having had enough. The dogs go out regularly. I have to keep the foster dog on a lead as she is determined that sheep should not exist. She will be re-homed soon.

My dogs had a spat in the living room and in the process wrecked my front room curtains. They have however been great company. When it was really cold they all piled onto my bed with me and kept me warm at night. It is a single bed and there was very little room for me.

I saw two ravens in my top field the other day. They come down from the moor in bad weather, they were clearing up several dead rabbit carcasses. Several birds of prey had been busy cleaning up the other carcasses. It is a desperate time for wildlife and only the fittest will survive. There are hardly any berries left on the hedgerows, no doubt when the snow finally goes there will be more largesse for the carnivores to feast and survive on. Nature can be very cruel and I see it in the raw at times like this.