Straw Delivery, Early Spring

A busy start to the day with the arrival of a load of straw. An artic. and drag lumbered its way up the drive and onto the yard with its vast load of straw bales, 24.3 tonnes brought from Stow-in-the-Wold. The bales, although very securely fastened with ratchet straps, always look to me as though they are are about to topple as they sway with the undulations of the roadway...quite unnerving. One of our big tractors has replaced the lorry tractor unit to take the loads to the sheds at the other side of the yards where the straw will be unloaded and stacked in a shed. There is enough bedding for the cattle for a couple of months and by the time it has all been used up it should be turn-out time.

The first of the snowdrops are beginning to appear along the drive although this year they were pipped to the post by daffodils which is ridiculous. I have even had a solitary tulip flowering in the garden. With this mild damp winter many plants are getting very confused and things are flowering months ahead of what is normal. The two days of frost last week were so lovely but we are now back to www...warm, wet & windy.