The Village, Spring Growth and My Animals

I had a dreadful night without much sleep but am still full of energy this morning.  After I'd walked up to the field and looked after the animals, I walked down the lane, past the calvaire to a little opening I'd never noticed before.  Today it was easier to see as logs have been cut and left there for collection.  This is something you see all over Brittany, piles of logs, huge, huge piles sometimes, which the owners leave to season on the roadside without risk of anyone taking them.

My neighbours had told me that there was a little house down there where I could collect leaves for leafmould.  It was very damp and the leaves underfoot had obviously been falling there for years and years and were deep. 

You can see how damp it is by the amount of moss which is growing on the trees and how far up the trunks the moss comes. 

Tucked away by a tiny house were primroses in flower and periwinkle, also a tiny oak seedling, one of many growing through the leaves.  With the enormous quantity of acorns produced and fallen this year, I should imagine there will be thousands and thousands of new little oak seedlings this time next year.

There are catkins on the trees in the lane too, some golden and some red.  I can't ever remember seeing red before, but when I look closely the golden ones have tinges of red so perhaps they change colour.

Here's a hazelnut on the same tree as the red catkins.

Here are photos of another neighbour's lake and a sheep on the few hundred metres back home.

Back up to my field and Betsy and Basil were cuddling together on top of the old pig shelter.

The ducks and hens are enjoying their extra area which I opened up to them yesterday.

When I got back home I gave the rabbits, Bert, Boris and Ruby, the dandelion and nasturtian leaves I had picked for them.  There were actually yellow dandelion flowers in bud - it's only 4 January!

Three things I like:

1.   The sunshine when I'm walking.

2.   The woodburner when I get home.

3.   Hot homemade soup for lunch.