This April has been fairly chilly with night frosts and some wet and windy days.  We have been lucky that the fields have all been harrowed, rolled and fertilised in the last week and we are now watching everything spring into life with the abundance of buds, shoots and grass everywhere.  This year we have a new yurt - the Tamar this is to replace the tiniest yurt from last year.  The Tamar is highly decorated on the outside, and can comfortably sleep 4 persons.  We are looking forward to welcoming its first guests in the next few days.  We are also looking forward to seeing the swallows return - as yet there has been no sign of these aerial acrobats.  I am starting to ponder whether they will have made it this year, back from their travels as its later than in previous years and still no sign of them.  There is however one other new arrival and this is Lady Ba Ba - see picture below - very apt for outside our shepherd's hut!!!

With Easter so early this year our yurt season has started really well with some lovely guests and their children staying with us.  The weather has been very typcial of April with sunshine and showers although its always toasty inside a yurt or hut with the wood burner lit.  The spring flowers, violets, primroses, and even some bluebells are in bloom around the camp although the trees are just wakening after the winter, and the buds are appearing but not yet full leaves.  Our recent guests have been treated to the sight of an elegant pair of swans who have made their home on our lake, we are hoping they may have babies soon.  The badgers are still causing us a bit of a headache, with their constant attempts to get at my hens.  We are hoping that a new maternity pen will save our chicks from being attacked.  I have 11 chicks just ready to venture out into the big wide world and we are hopeful of keeping them safe from the badgers who frequent our land every night causing mayhem by digging up everywhere.  My neighbours lawn looks like a ploughed field!!!