Staying in to Watch the Rain

A bunch of photos and some comments about them this time...

While John and Wendy were over here, we took a walk along Glystra Beach. They spend a lot of time there during the summer, but hadn't ever been during the winter. Although this winter is indeed proving to be the wettest we can remember, we still get days like this (two photos above) to enjoy the outdoors.

Walking back up the lane from a stroll down to the beach yesterday (Sat 5th), we encountered the shepherd on the lane. He was just getting the sheep into the pen for the night and was having trouble with a group of five recalcitrant lambs that were more intent on having a good time than they were on going in through the gate from the lane into the pen. He finally got them to cooperate and, as we approached, reached into the back of his pickup and drew out the antler you can see above. He knows a lot about the deer, it seems, including the fact that the adult males shed their antlers and grow new ones. He handed it to us and said, "Here, have this from me. Hang it on your wall or fence, it'll bring you luck."

Whilst we don't subscribe to such superstitions, we weren't going to be ungrateful, or indeed ungracious, so we accepted with pleasure. He then explained to us how the antlers become detached when it's time for the stag to shed them, showing us that white patch at the base, where the antler was originally attached to the animal's head.

We took the opportunity to ask him about his flock because, at the moment, they're passing our gate almost daily and the tiny lambs are a delight, especially when they 'gambol', which gives the impression that they're simply over the moon to be alive. He told us that he has about 250 ewes and, when my wife suggested that he must have at least forty baby lambs by now, he replied that no, he has about a hundred, with still more being born daily. 

The antler, by the way, will take pride of place on that slatted wooden panel on the front left of our wood-store, below.

You think we have enough logs? They're now two deep and we have still more piled on the terrace outside the front door (The 'cubbyhole' to the left in the photo is where the cat's bed and food dish reside). This is because while John was here we took off, the two of us, to chainsaw a dead tree that I've been eyeing fora couple of years now. It's a long way from anywhere and only a vehicle like John's Jeep Commander could hope to get near to it. That and the fact that some neighbours along the road wanted to get shot of a load of weathered wood that they'd had stacked in their garden for several years. The thing is, they don't have a log-burner! It took us four trips in the Commander.

This morning I took the photo above, at around 9.00am. That was coming our way! That's also why I called this post "Staying in to watch the rain." If you know the classic rock album/song where that phrase comes from, answers on a postcard please...

..Or rather, in a comment on this post!

One of the good things about the rain is the fact that our lettuce are the best they've ever been. Plus we have a (hopefully) good crop of beetroot and red onions developing too, plus there is spinach in the nearer of the two beds shown as well.