Spring update

Hello All
Welcome to Susan Telford on Blog Lovin. Good to see you here.
Alright enough already! Snow, hail, thunder, bright sunshine, frosts overnight. Make your mind up ! It's been very difficult to settle to any job and know what to wear over the last few days. The lambs should be out all day, but some of the weather has been so inclement that we have been bringing them in at teatime and leaving them in overnight until 9.00ish the next morning. On a couple of nights we have even put the heat lamp on for them.
The drive this lunchtime...

I have been trying to deter the hens from going broody and for the most part have succeeded. apart from Mavis who is doggedly sitting in an empty rabbit hutch on who knows how many eggs. The hens are pretty skittish at the moment as the fox paid us a visit a few days go and killed two hens.      ( I'm not in the mood to hear that the fox has to live at the mo!)

My friend's funeral went well. It was good to see a good turn-out. She was of Welsh decent and she would have loved the rousing "Guide me O thou Great Redeemer" at the service. (and also the good "Ham Tea" afterwards)
Sadly, a dear old friend died that same afternoon as the funeral and I am really struggling with this. His service is next week, it will be sad to say goodbye to him. We have known M for 45 years and will miss his calm kindness and affection.

I went my school reunion on Saturday night. It was interesting to see how we have aged, some better than others! I did struggle to find something in common with people. I did resist the conversation I had with someone at a friend's Golden Wedding a couple of weeks ago. We were talking about getting old and what it meant. I said that I feared losing my marbles over everything and he asked if I did anything to combat this. I told him that I read a lot, am secretary of a Civic Society and a couple of interest/ campaign groups, was researching for a local history paper and wrote a blog. I told him about the Smallholding and how it kept me on my toes. I said that I couldn't relate to just going out to lunch (pensioner's specials?) or the occasional game of whist as it sounded like a living death to me. "What do you do ?" I asked. "I'm a member of a luncheon club and play the occasional game of Bridge" he replied ooooh er whoops!

Thought you might like to see the fence that David is building across the veggie plots to keep the dogs off. Made of pallet wood of course and very sturdy it is too. It will keep more than dogs off. As we say here "In the event of a nuclear attack crouch behind....(whatever David has built)"

Cro has a picture on his blog of his Wisteria, it is glorious and he is so much in front of us. This is a branch of ours presently. Way behind.

 The false quince that is next to it is looking good tho'

All for now, will update you on the Radio Derby/chicken saga soon.
Love from a breezy Derbyshire
 Gillx