So this morning we got down to minus 4degC. Nothing compared to N Minnesota Winters in the area I visited last week, but cold enough. Our two cow groups come from quite different climates, with our original Autumn calving group coming from the rural areas around Melbourne, but our Spring calving group originating in the Australian Alps where they lived through deep snowfall each Winter.

Nevertheless the Highland is a hardy, hairy animal with a thick double Winter coat and they are all built to meet the season. For the calves (and our baby bully dog Bella) though this is their first Winter. We time our Autumn calving to ensure that by the time the really cold and wet weather comes they have had plenty of colostrum and rich fatty early milk to layer them up to stay warm.

The frost this morning was epic, widespread and deep through the valley. On a walk through the paddocks this afternoon with visitors there was still ice and frost on the ground at 5 o'clock.

A busy day through all of this. We arose early and moved a couple of tonnes of soil, four or five tonnes of firewood, re-strung a fence that one of the cows 're-modelled' and fed out to our three Highland herds.

The happiest little man on the property though is Puggsley our bull. Back in with his favourite cow group. Much urine sniffing, Flehman lip curling and exploratory mounting. He is never happier.

Winter. Our preferred season. The setup for the madness of Spring.