Glorious early morning sunshine on St David’s Day and all around daffodils are blooming, hyacinths and primulas are showing their colours and the cows and sheep are fattening.  The gander stretched his wings and flapped so hard that he took off six feet into the air before landing back next to his two surprised geese.  It’s spring at The Gables.  But cats will be cats and they are deadly little hunters.  Mice and voles are left for  

us by Mack and Mabel to show their appreciation of regular shop bought cat food.  Thank you cats!  And this morning, when I fed the cats in the barn, they had left me a dead mole.  Jeremy and I shovel up these tiny offerings and bury them in the ditch on the other side of the lane.  Life and death in the countryside.