Most of the birds in the garden are busy building nests. The blackbirds always seem to have beaks full of dry grass and roots, while the blue tits and great tits are keen on the sheep’s wool. Spring is here at last.

I always look forward to the first warm sunny days of spring when we will see our first brimstone butterfly of the year. We almost always see the first ones dashing along the tall hedge at the front of the bungalow. Their bright yellow wings look fresh and clear in the sunlight. These adults will have emerged from their chrysalises last August and immediately started gorging on nectar, thistles are a favourite, ready for their winter hibernation. The garden suits them very well as they usually hibernate either in holly trees or deep in amongst ivy that twines around so many of our trees. The first warm and sunny day and they are out and about searching for mates and egg laying sites. They lay their eggs on buckthorn bushes. These will hatch into green caterpillars in June or July, eat the buckthorn leaves and then become a chrysalis in late July before the whole cycle starts again in August. The males are the brightest yellow, the females paler with a slightly green tinge. They are fairly big butterflies and at this time of year are quite unmistakable. In August we occasionally see clouded yellows, but they are smaller and more orangy. It’s lovely to be working in the garden with these bright beauties flying over head.

As I write these notes (4 April) I am still waiting for the first lambs to be born. Poor Beth is enormous and pants like mad in the warm sunshine. I feel sure she must have twins this time, but sometimes in the past she has just had one extra large offspring. So far they have always lambed easily. Being a primitive breed and not over developed they are equipped for life in the Shetland Isles, where not much help is available. We are all ladies in waiting. I will keep you posted. Wendy Bathurst