March 17th and there's a touch of 'light' about, not too much in the way of new grass but drifts of yellow daffodils are gleaming in the sun.

Under the hedge primroses, pheasants and partridges, and above the first skylark.  Dawn of another year.

Its February -  after the frost and cold came the snow. Unusual in this part of England bound in as we are  by the Atlantic and English Channel, this usualy keeps us 'wet and warm'.  Not so this week - it landed thick 'wet and heavy', breaking branches off the Tamarisk and and other shrubs that were just beginning to shape up and splattering the Azaleas.

The picture shows one of the best summer sitting out places!

The junior alpacas have of course never seen anything quite like this before. They have the option to come into the barn under cover, but still generally opt for outside.

It's at times like these that I'm thankful for a good supply of hay, swedes and concentrates.  

Though more thought has to be given to thawing out the drinking troughs.