After a trying week or so at The Dower House with some irritating hiccups after the flood, we found something that brought us back down to earth and kept Jenny and me busy every few hours.
Meet "Spot" the rabbit.
By the way, Spot is the little one in the hand.
...and yes she does look a bit like a rat,
but as with good whisky, she improves with age!
...Look, at a week old, Spot has got little whiskers and eye lashes, but she still hasn't opened her eyes yet.
Cassie found the nest in the middle of someone's garden, she had 4 in her mouth at once, but being a retriever she just gently put them down, ready to play. Luckily Nick got there first, before she had time to pat them on the head.
The next day, they had predictively, been abandoned by the mother, one dead and the others very cold,
so I put them up my jumper and walked home.
Oh, I know about them being pests, eating all the plants,
digging holes in the lawn, but if you had seen them,
you might have done the same.
Anyway Jenny googled rabbits, we gave the babies goats milk with double cream and one by one they popped their clogs, until the only one left was Spot, Topsy's bunny. Spot goes visiting every day and so far has not been drowned in her milk. Cassie washes her after every feed and now she can do it herself.
The moral of this story may be that when things get into a bad cycle a tiny little thing can bring lots of love, nurturing and caring bringing life back into perspective.
Topsy, Jenny and me got some strange looks the first night when we were all sitting round her table feeding what looked like 5 rats with syringes.
This is a bench that Rick built, it was washed away in the winter storms and I found it this week, while on a long walk.
We will go and collect it in the canoe soon.
It might need the odd repair and a lick of paint.
No it's not a rabbit, it is a sea hare...or slug, Jenny found 4 of them, dead, washed up on the beach last week after a storm. We have found them alive in the summer as well as other sea slugs, which can be very beautiful under the water.
Greylag geese
Gulls swooping in front of the Dower House
Violets
...wood sorrel and primroses
Small tortoiseshell butterfly.
Canada geese in front of the Dower House
Geese flying and seals 50 yards from my lunch spot
Canada geese
Get off my patch!
This is a favourite tree when we are canoeing.
It stands out tall and on it's own looking from the water.
In the ancient woodland there are birch, oak, beech and alder to name but a few. To walk among the old gnarled trees in amongst the spring flowers, listening to the birds is just so peaceful and therapeutic, I was gone 4 hours.
Note, I did not take Cassie!
A warbler, I have no idea which one,
but I have heard the Chiff chaff here.
Seals in front of Kintyre
Greylag geese with two Shelduck behind
Eider ducks
I went to Kildalton Cross one evening and watched the Swallows and House martins catching insects.
At dusk the swan wanted to wash in the stream, but was followed and pestered by this young seal
Cassie watched.
This deer was paddling early one morning, but decided to stop before it got to the house and Cassie!
An empty ladder where are the workers?
Ducks, is this a Velvet scoter, or just a female Mallard
that is nearly black anyone?
Mallard male
Gulls swooping in front of the Fairy hill.
...and to finish off a very unusual time at The Dower House since the flood, I have to announce that Spot died suddenly on Thursday, we know not why, but we do know we did everything we could to keep her going and that is all anyone can expect!
We were very sad that day.
RIP Spot!
Mary-Ann
