Seurat would be pleased...

After a cold spring, with plants hunkering down to avoid the chill, a bout of warm rain and a week or so of sun have turned the countryside into a Pointillist's dream.  Patchwork fields are dotted with an ever-moving pattern of white, with the occasional flecks of brown and black as cattle chew their way across the scenery.  Flushes of yellow dust the grass that has been shut up for silage growth as buttercups bask in the sunshine, and in the hedgerows campions, cowparsley, bluebells and a myriad of other plants vie for attention, spots and splashes of colour on the fresh green of the ferns and young beech.

Cottage gardens are looking their best, with many plants blooming unusually at the same time.  Granny's bonnet seems to do particularly well in this area of Devon, self-seeding and almost becoming a weed.  But they bloom for weeks, and the bumble-bees love them.

Meanwhile, farm chores shift into a new phase, with time for maintenance (weed control, fixing fences, clearing sheds), and plenty of animal-focused activities such as de-horning calves, sheep pedicures, worming,  shearing (coming up soon), and branding.  This last is done with oil-based paint nowadays, so no lambs were harmed during the making of this photograph...

And now Rob is an expert brander, drafted in on a few days 'holiday' during half-term, and has been baptised with sufficient lamb poop, he won't be able to get out of it in the future.