Woodpigeon chick peeping out!

We were clearing out a shed today of some big bags of wood shavings which we use to bed up our horse. We had to abandon our task when we saw this little face peeping out at us. A wood pigeon has a nest set among the bags and this beautiful chick is being reared there.

Coooeee! look at me, my mums not cleaned my bed out for ages!



Spring is here again! cicks and wagtails

Its been a long time since I added anything to my blog but life seems to have a way of flying by!
Here is a lovely wagtail who enjoys drinking from the fountain in the centre of our courtyard!

Wagtail enjoying our fountain ball in the courtyard.


 

Our travelling tea party to celebrate 30 years of Farm Stay holidays was by tractor and trailer!

 

Samantha was our driver and this was our afternoon tea we ate whilst travelling along!

 

As you can see Kate and Wills, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge graced us with their presence and brought baby George along too!!!

Recipe book launched!

New! I have been very busy lately producing a recipe book to help Farm Stay Yorkshire celebrate it's  30th anniversary. This is a book with a difference! It features some of the best farm and  country places to stay in Yorkshire and each  gives you one of their favourite recipes. We have also let you know who our favourite farm shops or butchers are! You can order a copy from me and proceeds are for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance charity. We are hoping to raise £10,000. Why not buy one and help us achieve that goal! The books are £5 each plus post and packing (£1.75 UK mainland) BBC television Countryfile presenter Adam Henson even wrote the foreword for us! They make an ideal gift as they are an accommodation guide as well as a recipe book!

Little Owl heads for a perch!

Spring came late this year but our Little Owl has done it again, she is rearing her young on the corner of our farmhouse roof. I just snapped this picture of her perched on one of our garden statues. She can often be seen hunting in the orchard and then flying back up to feed her young.

Lamb hide and seek!

Where's my mum?

We took a ride up onto the North York Moors today which are only 10 minutes away and I spotted this lovely little lamb. He looks like he is playing hide and seek from his mum!

Contest winners stayed here!

Congratulations to Kate and Oliver who spent last weekend staying in my bed and breakfast at Rains Farm. They were winners of a competition run by the Odd Fellows Society for a two night stay.  I was delighted to meet  such a lovely couple and I wish them all the very best for their future and with Olivers creative cake business. Here they are enjoying breakfast one morning in the B&B dining room.

Rainbows on daffodils!

A beautiful rainbow appeared to enhance the pretty daffodils along our driveway yesterday evening and the hedge rows are beginning to green up now as they burst into leaf. Spring at last!!!

Piggy weather!

So much for the weather  forecasters who said Easter was to be nothing but dreadful weather! We have basked in glorious sunshine all day here in the north east of Yorkshire!
I went to my neighbouring farm to buy some hay for my horse and the farmer said to me 'Just look over that wall' I looked over and there she was, this beautiful sow with  her little piglets that had been born that day. Can you see they are mostly spotty and one ginger one. They were suckling away on their mum as she laid contently feeding them. Awe!

Sow with her new born piglets.

Spring has sprung!

Aconites and Snow Drops in our Orchard today, enjoying the sun!

Spring has arrived! Our farmhouse with pretty Aconites in the foreground.

Snow comes to Yorkshire!

Snow arrived again last week, we had about 4 inches, everything looked so pretty until it thawed!
We were very excited a few days ago, when we went into the tractor shed to use the tractor a barn owl flew off the top of the tractor cab! I have never known one actually roost in one of our buildings. Usually they use an old barn down the road. We are hoping that the owl makes our shed their home. We only ever use that shed every few months so it is very quiet for them. Here's hoping!

Compare our pond prior to the snow!

Our pond covered in snow

A barn owl photographed at the farm.

Wet comparisons

I thought it fun to compare the pond at Springtime, summer in a drought and this winter when the pond is the fullest it has ever been.

Pond in a drought ridden summer, not this past year though and now after all the wet weather.

 

 

Wet wet wet!!!

Here is our pond in the spring and then the other photo was taken today after all the rain and wet weather we have had. I have never known our pond to be so full and dont think it will soak away fast as the fields were already water logged! it doesn't really show how high the water is but we will soon be hiring boats out and competing with the Norfolk Broads for boating holidays!

Spring time 2012 when the pond is full after last winter

November 2012 the pond is the fullest it has ever been, it is nearly to the summerhouse.

Our patio through the seasons!

I thought it would be interesting to see our patio through the seasons. This first photo is in  early Spring before the leaves are on the trees but you can just see some daffodils at the far side of the orchard.

Summertime brings a million shades of green and we decorate the patio with  tubs of flowers.

Autumn brings blustry showers and leaves everywhere!

Winter snow covers the patio!

Goldfinch rebellion

These Goldfinch were busy feeding this morning when the sparrow came to feed try his luck too. You can imagine the Goldfinch on the left shouting up to the one on the feeder ' Eh! what about me, throw me some down and never mind that thieving sparrow!'