A New Lease of Life

The past two weeks have totally transformed the countryside and it is truly a green and pleasant land!  All the trees (except for the Ashes - a very good sign) have greened up, the fruit trees are starting to blossom, little stalks are appearing in the greenhouse, I've dug over my rose bed so it looks a lot happier, and there is a general feeling of optimism in the air.

But, and there always has to be a but, doesn't there? - the rooks and magpies are driving me nuts.  I have been really enjoying the birds at my feeders, and was really excited to see the woodpecker again, but now the magpies have spotted it.  Literally 2 hours after I've put out the fat balls, they are gone!

And when I go out to feed the chickens and geese, I can see the rooks on the telegraph pole just waiting for dinner

and the magpies getting closer

 

so I have to stand there until the chickens have eaten it all.

The lambs are coming along very nicely - just today I have dropped them down to two feeds a day.  But then I go out with the creep feed and......

they're waiting.  And they're clever too - every time I pointed the camera at them, they all flew away.  So don't think there's only one or two - sometimes there are more than 10 out there.

On a happier note, the last of our lambs were born today so lambing is over.

And the workshops have been great:

Pam was putting together her Antique Sampler on the Lynne Johnson workshop

and at Pitch and stitch Louise brought the sweet little needle case she's made

and was knitting a brooch with fine wire

Anthea was working on her husband's cricket club waistcoat

and Sandra was making a quilt for one of her granddaughters

 

So Spring fever is in evidence.

And tomorrow we are off to Malvern Quilt Show - yippee!