Dorset lifestyle
It’s the first day of Spring, the day when the sun crosses the equator and the tilt of our hemisphere means the days are warmer and longer. Certainly true of yesterday when the sun shone all day and the bumble bees and brimstone butterflies were flying around. The Hyacinths have done well to overwinter, they must like it in the border, the shallow dish behind needed to be topped up with water for the hedgehogs. The day ended with a glorious orange sunset.
Cut from the Laneside hedge, and being nibbled by Elton, whose horns are getting bigger; the sheep spent a few hours eating the fresh grass before returning to their arcs in Willow. The spring trickling down the Avenue from the paddock entrance is losing its strength, could plant a few willows at the bottom of the Square paddock to help dry out the ground. Topped up the soil round the young palm tree with compost from the heap. A drizzly day with light winds.
Vernal equinox, which means the sun is exactly above the equator and day and night are of equal length, this is the start of spring for most, the birds are nesting, the days definitely feel warmer and the wind is less abrasive. A pair of partridges stayed in the garden most of the day and a pheasant has adopted a routine that includes the stable and the paddocks, it takes little notice of sheep, donkeys or humans and walks and scratches about talking to itself. The first rhubarb crown was moved a month or so ago, have dug up the rest and will plant them in large pots, the ground was too dry where they were under the hedge. A cloudy sunny day with light winds.
Almost an inch overnight, it didn’t last long in the sunshine although some has lingered in the shade. The donkeys were spooked by the sound of scrunching snow underfoot, it does have a peculiar sound so maybe they’d not heard it before, they had a couple of hours on the patch of grass by the stable before their daily cup of vitamin mix. The sheep carried on as usual, eating the hay and visiting their de-iced water trough after a couple of minutes at the mineral lick. The spring is running in to the ditch again, must decide how best to measure the flow rate. A cloudy end to the day with sleet showers.
Groomed the donkeys and walked them down to the bottom paddock so they could graze for a few hours in what felt like spring sunshine. The ditch has drained as well as it can, several dams are holding back the water higher up and the spring had stopped running. Finished a jar of delicious home made lemon curd. Lovely and warm in the morning, wore one fleece instead of two! The day clouded over towards dusk and a shower of hailstones lowered the temperature significantly. Turned off the water supply to the stable in anticipation of a frosty night.
Gave the sheep the opportunity of fresh grazing in the meadow strip, herding them there was less straightforward, they missed the pen made of hurdles and headed up towards the top paddock gate, the idea was to allow them to graze grass without nibbling the new hedge. Managed to get round them while they grazed and they were soon in the allotted area but they didn’t settle and bleated and head butted each other until they were released and happily trotted back to their paddock. Moved a few barrowloads of compost from the heap; checked the ditch which needs more work to clear debris, spring still running. A cooler day with light winds and no rain.
