Spring can't be far away.

The first snowdrop.

There are signs that spring is just around the corner. The branches on willows and the dogwoods are becoming brighter as the sap starts to rise.

 The first snowdrops are opening up

Primroses.

and the first primroses are in bloom. All positive signs that spring can't be too far away. Our drakes are all showing off to the ducks, but so far no duck eggs,

La Bresse cockerel.

the spare cockerels had started sparring with each other so have now been put into a bachelor house, without hens to fight over they now live happily together.

Two very handsome Black Copper Maran boys.

We had a near disaster a few days ago with one of the Copper Maran pullets, clearly she was a favourite with the lads, Simon found her when he went to lock up, trampled into mud, unable to move and totally hypothermic. We quickly washed her several times in warm water to try to get the mud off of her, but I was afraid that in between washes she would get even colder so we dried her as best we could with the hair dryer trying to brush the rest of the mud out of her. Feathers take a very long time to dry, so she was placed in a box of warm straw and left by the range to dry off.  A few hours later she was standing up and taking notice, we kept her in her warm box for the next couple of days in a spare room. She has now returned to her flock, none the worse for her ordeal. From this experience it was clear that the spare boys would have to be rehoused until we either sell them or put them in the freezer, which would be a pity as they are pure bred birds and

                  very good examples of their breed.
Broad bean seeds have now been planted in root trainers and are in the propagator, these are our own seed saved for last year. Some  early potatoes saved from last year had chitted so they have been planted in one of the beds in the tunnel, we have tried doing potatoes in bags but have never had a decent crop. The peach tree which became too big for the sunroom was relocated into a far bigger pot and put into the polytunnel, the buds are now beginning to swell, hopefully we will have as good a crop as we did last year.
The land is still too wet to start preparing for this years crops so we will just have to be patient, plus we need still more scaffold boards and compost to complete the new raised beds, now that the mushroom farm that we used has closed down we are wondering if we should get a seven ton load delivered from the remaining farm's contractor, we can easily use seven tons over the next couple of years, I guess it will depend on how much he charges.

Misty and Freddy get some rest before their next escapade.

The two kittens are now seven months old so it was time to get them to the vets to be neutered. We are very impressed in how our vet did Misty, the little fluffy black girl, her scar is little more than a quarter of an inch, with just two stiches, the ends of the stitches are not even visible so no chance of Misty removing them, unlike other cats that we have had done these two didn't  suffer any ill effects at all, tearing around as soon as they were home like a couple of lunatics, unfortunately this entailed skimming up the curtains together. Curtain poles are not designed to carry a combined weight of fourteen pounds of swinging cats, both the curtain pole curtains and kittens ended up on the floor, another job that Simon has to sort out.
Tess remains very tolerant of the puppy who has now had her vaccinations,

she allows her to sleep on top of her and

I want that bone!

even to remove food from her mouth, considering how greedy Labradors are we find this remarkable.

No peace for Tess.

Meg, although so small does have a short fuse, she allows no one near her food, and is none too happy if Robson  the very elderly Jack Russell tries to take over her bed, Robson also has a short fuse but only one tooth so he unlikely to do her any harm, maybe just teach her some manners.
Tonight is Burns night, as Simon is half Scottish I suppose we should be celebrating with haggis and swede, especially as Robbie Burns had written a poem about Simon's great, great, great grandfather, 'Death and Doctor Hornbook', an openly rude poem, decrying John Wilson's abilities as a healer, in fact he was a school teacher. They remained friends despite the poem!  Instead of the  traditional meal  for the celebration,  we will be having leg of pork, but maybe Simon will raise a glass of whisky to his memory.