Grapheme Focus

Snow - /oa/ow

Ice - /s/c

Fruit/soup - /oo/ui ou

Phone - /f/ph

Giant - /j/g

Metal/apple - /l/le al

Wheel - /w/wh

Give - /v/ve

Mouse/fence - /s/se ce

Cheese - /z/se

Head - /e/ea

Fly - /igh/y

Grapheme Focus

Funny - /ee/y

Toe/shoulder - /oa/oe ou

Some/mother/young - /u/o-e o ou

Donkey - /ee/ey

The Buckleberry Community Website warned people that snow was on the way and that the temperatures would drop significantly. Everyone was already wearing winter coats, hats, gloves and boots and they wondered how cold it would become! People made sure their firewood was stocked for heating their homes and their kitchen cupboards were stocked with supplies.

It was a busy time at Mopplee Farm as winter was coming. Farmer Ted and Matilda were busy carrying out planning, maintenance and taking care of the animals. Farmer Ted and Matilda tried to ready the farm and animals for the cold arctic blast. Ice had already formed on the roads.

During winter, it is normal for the daylight hours to become shorter. Farmer Ted and Matilda experienced the shortest day of the year, and this is known as the winter solstice. People experience less than 8 hours of daylight on this day. The dark mornings and afternoons are a clear sign that winter has set in. Getting up and working in the dark seems strange. Even the animals wonder why they are being fed at such an odd time. Once everyone has adjusted, it is just a matter of getting through winter.

On a regular basis, Farmer Ted took extra fruit and vegetables into the village community centre to help those in need. He milked the cows an extra time each day to be able to provide more milk. People love to drink milky tea and coffee, so milk would be necessary for many people. Matilda sent jars of her award-winning jam. She thought people would enjoy a sweet treat on toast. Some of the shop owners added cans of food and bottles of water. The “Buckleberry Ladies Group,” had been busy knitting blankets and sweaters to keep people warm. Matilda had used some of her softest wool to make extra cosy socks and sweaters for people to wear.

The Buckleberry Community Club decided to run a soup night each Tuesday in the community hall. Farmer Ted’s vegetables were very well received and made a delicious soup.  Baker Bunty provided crusty loaves to eat with the soup. She also used Farmer Ted’s apples to make apple pie. The community meeting provided an opportunity for everyone to gather, exchange stories and tips and to check to see that everyone was ok. If anyone needed any jobs done, the community support system was there to offer a hand. It was important to have a phone so people could stay connected with one another.

People liked to phone Farmer Ted and Matilda when they needed help. This winter was no exception. Butcher Barry called one early morning to say that a giant metal nail had appeared in his tractor’s wheel. He wondered if Farmer Ted could give him a hand. Farmer Ted was able to take along tools from his farming shed to remove the nail and then he patched the wheel. Butcher Barry thanked Farmer Ted with a gift of sausages! As Farmer Ted headed to his van, the phone was busy ringing again.

Farmer Ted’s next stop was Mrs Cotswold’s house. She was a funny lady. Mrs Cotswold always wore a floral scarf, bright red lipstick and shoes that had holes where her big toe poked out. This time the trouble was not with Mrs Cotswold’s toe but her young grandson’s toe. Young Jeremy had decided to take a bath to keep warm. He had wriggled his toes around the bath and decided to poke a toe into the tap hole. His toe had become stuck! Farmer Ted again stood and scratched his head. Scratching his head helps him think! Farmer Ted asked Mrs Cotswold if she had any olive oil. Mrs Cotswold quickly went to the kitchen and brought back a glass jar of olive oil. 

Farmer Ted squirted the olive oil over Jeremy’s toe and into the tap. Within seconds, Jeremy could pull his toe away from the tap. Mrs Cotswold stood back and clapped. Everyone was relieved. Mrs Cotswold thanked Farmer Ted and gave him a blackcurrant pie. Farmer Ted smelt the pie and said, “Delicious!” The phone rang again and with that Farmer Ted returned to his van.

Farmer Ted could not believe how busy his day had become. The light was starting to fade, and he wondered what his last call would be. He was worried about driving on the roads as the snow had started to fall heavily and the ice on the roads had become thicker. It was quite dangerous to drive. When he looked at his phone he had received missed calls from Mayor George. It must be serious, Farmer Ted thought. Farmer Ted called Mayor George to find out what was going on.

Mayor George spoke very quickly on the phone, and this added a sense of urgency to his message. A donkey from the Buckleberry Donkey Sanctuary had escaped from the sanctuary and was now standing in Market Square, and in the village fountain! A number of locals had surrounded the fountain but had no idea how to get the donkey out. The donkey was making a terrible noise due to the icy water in the fountain. Farmer Ted had no idea how the donkey had got in the fountain in the first place. Everyone was worried with the snow and ice that the donkey could become a frozen statue in the water. “Do we boil water?” one person asked. “Do we get blankets?” said another. Farmer Ted stood and scratched his head.