I know I said I’d post again after we resumed lights & power, but to be honest – we missed it! Yes, I know – not very ‘green’ at all was it? Still, our excuse is that we have so many ‘earth minutes’ that throughout the year they add up to more than an hour anyway, so we’re in the black on that front! It was just one of those nights when time became a blur. We were late having dinner, and before we knew it, after taking our time digesting everything (food & conversation) it was just about bed time!
Still, even if I hadn’t missed the event, how interesting would a picture of a completely blacked out scene have been? And anyway, the battery was flat on my camera because I forgot to plug it in! Hmm, I saved some more leccy there didn’t I? The more I think about it, the greener I get! I’ll stop now before I turn into a leprechaun!
This week has seen the temperatures rise and fall. April came in with a strong burst of warmth and sunlight. The grounds are looking good again, after the ravages of winter. There’s colour about the place again with the daffs and tulips in bloom. The hedgerows are bustling with birds. I disturbed a baby rabbit the other night venturing over to the showerblock to turn off the outside light at midnight. The chooks have all decided they’re hens once more after being threatened with the pot if they didn’t buck up their ideas and give us eggs again! Six please! Daily! Oh, and the bloody cuckoo’s started! I think there’s a cuckoo mafia in the forest across the lane from our gates. They take it in turns, shifts if you will. Syb’s even been reduced to counting how many ‘cuckoos’ they sound off before taking a breath – on average, 7! What a full and exciting life, eh? Beats counting tractors anyway, which almost became an olympic sport the year we moved in, as a tractor in Doncaster was almost unheard of. Apart from the ones my dad used to build at International Harvesters, but they don’t count, being ‘in the family’ and all…
Guests are happy, it seems. Despite the weather changing on a daily basis. Despite it not really being warm enough to use the pool. Shame, as it looks inviting enough until you look at the thermometer! Chatting this evening with a guest, I’m doing a few calculations and costs into building a very simple heat exchanger for the pool, in order to both lengthen the ‘swiiming season’, and raise the ambient temperature by a few degrees. I’ve worked out a way of doing it fairly cheaply, using no leccy at all (leprechaun calling, leprechaun calling…), but involving a fair bit of digging and being half drunk sniffing the fumes of the pvc solvent weld cement. Still, it’s cheaper than gin!
That’s all to report for now. I don’t think I’ve forgotten anything. Apart from remembering to turn off the lights next year for Earth Hour! Now, where’s the calendar?
Until the next time, au revoir.
TBC
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Made me giggle as usual – the one question I have though is how you managed to train the baby rabbit to go to the shower block to turn off the lights?
Hope all is well with you and yours –
Love PJ and Family