The English Paysanne

 Monday at the spinning and weaving group I learnt how to ply wool using the Navajo technique, using a single thread making it into 3 ply, useful when you only have one bobbin or want lovely mixed coloured wool from blended wool batts (wool that has not been spun) Sandy it turns out is not pregnant. As she has been fed pregnant sow rations she is now just a tad over weight, back on normal pig size feeds she is being closely watched for when and if she comes into season. The first of the seasons broad beans have been eaten. Next year I think I will double the allotted broad bean patch as they seem so easy to grow here ( I probably shouldn't say that as some pest will probably enjoy munching them soon) Sadly our old mallard duck didn't come back to the barn at evening time, I like to think he flew down to the Aveyron river to find a lady friend or he made it up to the top of the hill had to have a rest after a long climb and fell asl...

In between our top driveway and the small road that cuts between us and our top fields and woods we have a stone bank which since we moved in nearly ten years ago has been left to its own devices. Slowly over the years a few changes have been made, daffodils being planted, a large tree falling down, a pampas grass dyeing after a very cold winter two years ago and with brambles taking over a chunk of it it was time for drastic cut and tidy up. Slowly over the years ivy has started to take over enough to hang over the wall and take hold on and in between the stones, a trailer full was cut and pulled off you know when you think a job won't take to long it always takes a lot longer! Finding a photo from the spring of 2006 was a bit of a shock and embarrassment that we have left the wall so long before a trim. Now it the stone has been exposed with the feature in the wall, which we are not sure what purpose it was built for, it has a ledge in part of it...

 Walks are now being enjoyed over fields and in woods without the worry of being shot, hunting season has finished with fishing now started.  Warmer days with no rain towards the end of the week means the mud is drying out, everyone is happier at the thought of spring nearly here.   Daffodils are coming out with the first cowslip spotted this week.   Look what turned up in the poly tunnel, four tiny baby rabbits. I wasn't allowed to 'look after' them so wrapped them under straw for the night in the hope mum would find them. In the morning they were still there but we did find a opening of a burrow on the donkeys side of the tunnel so i put them at the beginning of it and they soon run down the hole. I have had the talk of rabbits in the poly tunnel + veg = no veg but they were so cute. I know I will be cursing them when the lettuces are chewed but as yet nothing has been sown in there so they may leave before anything green starts to grow -...

I took a few photo's of flowers with the cannon camera. That bit was easy what wasn't was how to get the photos here. Just as well master C  was around to help.  Being a young techno minded person I could feel the frustration of teaching his untechno mum who needs to be shown three times before being able to cut, copy paste, download, move files, open them and make photos smaller. And then it came to me I after tweaking photos I was able to do this: Oh I'm so pleased with myself, ok so the lines may not be the same distance apart I only hope I can remember my new techno knowledge for next time. Thank you Connor for your time and patience