Mizzle, mizzle, mizzle

Yup, it’s raining again down here in the south-west.  I know it keeps things green, but that would still be the case with a quarter of the water and I fear that the only way I am going to get the lawn under control is with a flamethrower and a dose of Round Up, followed by several tonnes of concrete.  Today the cows decided that they are in for the winter...the sheds have been open for them for a week or so, and they have been wandering in and out…but they seem to be fed up with the weather too.  There is an upside, though – some spectacular sunrises, with colour-washed clouds resembling the roiling surface of Jupiter.

Animals are on the move – fat lambs to the place that shall not be named, spring calvers over to Farmer Rob, followed by early lambing ewes.  We’ll have the two vet students with us this year, so lambing has been brought forwards…starting over there mid-March and with us towards the end of the month.  And old Billy Big Balls (aka Comet) will take his final curtain call sometime soon, as is the nature of these things.

Vast flocks of starlings have taken over the fields during the day, and fieldfares and redwings are back raiding the berries.  The usual suspects hang around the house, and we had a great spotted woodpecker checking out our rockery tree moots recently.  Leaving seed heads on the flowers has encouraged goldfinches, blue tits and sparrows to hang precariously outside the window – it’s amazing how unaware of us they can be sometimes.  Or perhaps we just don’t look that scary.

Ned the Nipper is growing fast, and a lovely character…but yet to learn anything of any importance.  My attempts at training have led to him simply sitting and staring at me.  He is quite well behaved, despite this stubborn streak.  We’ve almost made it through the house-training stage…almost.

Ned is ambitious, to say the least...

Meanwhile, Cody has taken up drinking to cope.

I am the Wicked Wolf.

Someone else has just turned 40, and our lovely friend Cathy made him a birthday cake - not bad for her first try at decorating one!  Happy Birthday Farmer Ian.