Butterflies

Not so much butterflies as caterpillars. Whilst it wasn't too good a year for veg - tomatoes failed dismally, pak choi bolted,  mange tout came and went in a week, it was a brilliant year for the cabbage white. Wet weather ensuring not much time in the garden when I was on the Fell it was open season on the winter veg. Kill one and hundreds came to the funeral so in the end i just let them gorge themselves.

 

Black Rocks on the Fell

After a brief trip cycle touring in Orkney, which by the way is awesome, we returned to the fell ready to pick up the next new arrivals. 3 Black Rock chicks. This meant in the wet summer we had to build a coop and a pen, bearing in mind that several of next doors Rhode Island crosses had been snaffled by the rogue fox. We wont be due eggs till mid november. However, without personalising them too much, they have each developed a personality and they provide many hours of joy. A welcome distraction when the muse wont visit and inspiration is low.

FOAL

It seems ages ago but up here on the Fell one of natures miracles happened. This foal was born to mum ( Blossom). It was all leg. Now of course a few months on its filled out, been weaned on to solids and hangs out in the fields with the others - still under the watchful gaze of mum of course. It was truely amazing watching it take its first doddering unsteady steps, finding out what her legs are for.