Lords-and-ladies etc

I have spent an exhausting but lovely day in the sun on my field. Strimming nettle patches is a particularly dirty and irritating job, but the benefits of a neat allotment,and a reduction of fox cover was worth it. Another fringe benefit of my hard work was that a whole colony of woodland wild flowers (Lords-and-ladies) is now free of the overwhelming cover of weeds and now have a chance to flourish.(pic left)

The cottage garden now has taken on the mantle of Miss Marple set, but has not quite reached the prettiness of last year. I wanted to weed it this afternoon but got side tracked by preparing a brooder box for Blanche's sister Beatrice who is almost ready to sit on her first clutch of eggs.

The brooder box is in fact a cheap rabbit hutch, (below), and despite giving it a good lick of paint, and filling it with wood chippings and eggs, Beatrice is not happy as yet, to occupy it.

The ducklings are all fine today, and took their first swimming lesson like ducks to water. (see below)

They have spent long periods sleeping in the sun, when I have planted purple broccoli, and pumpkins ( kindly supplied by Ann's allotment co- operative), The peas,beetroot and beans that I planted last week are already showing in the sudden increase of temperature we have experienced this week.