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Officially Spring!

 I am pleased to announce that Spring is officially here. How do I know this? Because this morning Mr and Mrs Duck arrived to take up their annual residency chez the tangle of undergrowth in the corner of the field attached to our driveway. You have no idea the level of joy and excitement that emerged from me when I saw their little heads bobbing about there as I was looking out the window whilst filling the kettle for first cup of tea of the day! It was INSANE! I shouted up the stairs to Andy (home from Lancashire) that Mr and Mrs Duck had returned for the seventh year in a row; I have to report that his level of euphoria at this news nowhere near matched mine. 

‘How do you know they are the same Mr and Mrs Duck?’ said he.

‘Of course it’s the same Mr and Mrs Duck!’ said I. ‘A different Mr and Mrs Duck wouldn’t know where to come, would they?’ (I rolled my eyes. Honestly…)

By this time I’d already checked my diary and was able also to inform him that last year they arrived on 12th March, and so can confirm that, via the HIGHLY accurate system of duck forecasting, Spring is eight days earlier this year than it was last year. You can just see them in this photo from my fuzzy iPad…


And here is another photo of Beau Pheasant…


Look at him, cheeky sod! He can pack up that sort of behaviour at once. 

Still no news of a bunny companion for Edith. Thought I’d found one in Stoke but the woman who wants to re-home it is being mildly weird to the point where I am thinking, ‘Oh stuff you, then,’ which isn’t very spiritual of me at all. So we are back to the RSPCA, but this time the one in Cheshire. Keeping fingers, toes and eyes crossed that we are close to becoming a two bunny household. 

It was World Book Day yesterday so, in celebration, I decided to read some short stories (in my best ex-drama teacher voice) to the people I work with on the farm. Well, we’d been outside working in the woods for most of the morning being drizzled on to the point of saturation, so what better way to raise some smiles than a bit of good old-fashioned story-telling? And then, just to spice things up a tad, I dragged the box of musical instruments out from the back of the cupboard - an eclectic mix of bongos, tambourines, bells, zithers and other tinkly, rattly, bangy boingy things - and we had more storytelling with added music, singing and dancing. I also found some long ribbons on sticks, so we added rhythm gymnastics to the mix and great fun was had by all! Made me want to teach drama again - I think the happiest of my teaching days was when I was in charge of Drama! 

I have also found out this week that one can do a jive to 98% of all songs that are played on the radio. Some are fast, some are slow. But it can be done. Fact. 


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