Last weekend we had the most glorious sunshine and clear blue skies.  The guests at the yurt camp were treated to the very best weather that Devon can offer.  The temperatures were up in the low twenties which is something you can normally expect in July.  The young children who stayed were delightful and relished wandering about the fields, picking some of the multitude of buttercups and petting the horses and collecting eggs from our chickens.  I am always really happy to spend time introducing guests to our animals especially when they are.  Everything in the yurt camp is growing like mad and we are having to mow the camp about twice a week at the moment.  The long grass is a haven for wildlife but we have to keep the area looking tidy and well kept as this is in the terms of the tented site licence which is approved by the local council.  Our lake is looking beautiful this time of year with the recent arrival of 4 little goslings.  The resident Canada geese have been living at our lake for a number of years now, and this year they are very protective of their offspring.  If anyone attempts to go near them then they hiss like snakes.  They also warn off the wild ducks and any other geese that attempt to land on the lake.

Its that time of year when everything is growing like mad, the grass is long and lush and the weeds have overtaken my garden.  The lake at the yurt camp is surrounded by large willow trees which love the damp soil and are pretty when the catkins and pussy willow buds are in flower.  In early may the catkins open and distribute their seeds everywhere, it almost looks like snow flakes with large clumps of fluffy coated seeds floating around in the gentle breeze leaving a downy covering everywhere.  This time of year is also an amazing time to listen to the fantastic dawn chorus.  The birds are nesting and calling their mates and the birdsong both at dawn and dusk is truly an amazing treat for our yurt guests.  The noise is quite astounding and there is even a local blackbird who sings just like a phone ringing.  Our guests this weekend are going to be treated to beautiful balmy daytime weather up to 20 degrees on May Day bank holiday Monday with cooler nights and clear dark skies.