I have had the most joyful day. It’s actually been t-shirt weather and I’ve been out in my garden. The raspberry bush has been wrestled with and is now in its new home in a raised planter, some more of my Cosmos seedlings have been potted up and I’ve begun my annual war with nettles which I’ve so far failed to win.

In between pottering I’ve swung gently to and fro on my swing seat and even had lunch outside. But the best thing of all is that I’ve been serenaded by Curlews, the distinctive sound of Skylarks and Lapwings calling in the field next door. They’re back, a sure sign Spring is here!

I have both stills and pictures of Lapwings in flight (though hardly competition worthy, they’re so hard to photograph!), but the kamikaze aerial dance of Lapwings during their mating display has long been on my bucket list. Maybe being as though they are so close to my house I might be lucky this year 🤞🏻 Skylarks are even harder to photograph, as they’re so tiny and hover so high up.

The joiner was here Monday and Tuesday finishing off my little photography room. The doors only need painting now and it’s finally done. It’s going to be available for a rental space which I’ll advertise here on my website. Although I still have a few jobs to do, the renovation of the inside of my house is now complete and I can’t tell you how happy that makes me – I’d had enough last Christmas so this past year has been a proper slog! There’s still loads to do outside and at be honest I don’t know where to start, but I’ll be in my element creating a wildlife pond and flower garden.

This week was the deadline for handing in prints and PDIs for the NCPF Annual competitions, so I’ve also been finalising my entries and will be going through to Cockermouth on Friday to drop them off with our external competitions secretary. I don’t think I can ever beat the success I had this year, so it’s all downhill from now on 😂

It’s now 5pm, the sun is still shining and I’m typing this with the patio doors open onto a space filled with bird song, including a cooing Collared Dove, a startled Pheasant and a chirping Great Tit.

There was a stunning Worm Moon last night and I meant to get the telescope out this week as there were 6 planets visible, but to be honest I was too distracted with other things. I had a discussion on the group I belong to about not sleeping well this week and I wasn’t the only one – apparently full moons can disrupt the sleep cycle if you’re sensitive.

Living where I do I feel so connected to nature. The seasons are distinct: from the dramatic howling winds in Winter straight off the fells, to the abundance of bird life in Spring, the butterflies I have in my house in Summer and the flanking golden trees of Autumn. Add to that the dramatic skies I can see from my bed, being woken by the morning sun as it rises over the Pennines and watched as I sleep by a million stars I feel alive in ways I never do anywhere else. Today, as always, I feel incredibly blessed 😇