Welcome honoured visitors – are you staying?

As I was watering the pergola a honking above my head made me look up. Click below

They circled a few times and then alighted in the field

They are greylag geese – the largest native species of geese. They can live up to 20 years and they mate for life click below

I’ve offered them free use of the field (they are herbivores) but I doubt they will stay

Dotty has company

This morning we brought Dotty’s twin, Spotty, and half sister, Poddy, into the barn quarter of the field to keep Dotty company.

The deal is that Dotty must drink at least one and a half bottles a day or she will be back by herself in the barn

I’ll keep her in at night so she doesn’t get cold

Dotty’s twin is twice her size
Poddy is squaring up, playfully, to Spotty

Nearly time to feed Dotty again – little and often, slowly, slowly.

Meanwhile as I sit in the sunshine hearing birdsong (was that really a cuckoo I heard earlier?) and the peace broken by chainsawing across the road I am filled with awe by Rabbi and Rebbetzin Bald in Lviv

They left the city a few weeks ago to take their younger children to safety and to watch over the marriage of their daughter – who is now, thankfully, wed. They continued to direct the communal activities, food parcels, medical aid and refugee work from abroad with their trusted staff at the synagogue. Yesterday I learnt that the Rabbi and his wife, their newly married daughter and her young husband had returned to Lviv to organise Passover for the community. They gave out food packages in the city and arranged to send parcels to communities further away and in need of the essentials with which to celebrate the 8 day festival. Celebration in a time of war and devastation and destruction. Their belief in a better future and their care for those who are unable or unwilling to leave is totally amazing and I salute their bravery, kindness and selflessness. May their prayers be heard and answered

Handing out food
Unleavened bread (matzos) for the 8 days of Passover
More packages to send
The Seder tables laid in the synagogue
View from the balcony in the synagogue