Hot.

It's been a really hot day, no option but to work outside and enjoy the sunshine. For once it was pleasant to be walking back into a cool house. Peter did some mowing and I got on with preparing the ground in the chickens' run. The plan is to have it done by the time the courgettes I planted in pots grow to a size where they can go outside. So far they haven't even germinated so courgettes may not be on the menu this year. The air is full of magical summer snow, the tiny white willow seeds are everywhere with little drifts caught under plants. Even the mat in front of the rayburn, which I hoover every morning, has a dusting of white fluff.

Looking out of the window this morning I saw both the deer grazing in the field. Later on the stag was there on his own.  

The war against the rooks continues and Peter spent some time this morning putting a telescopic sight on the airsoft rifle and calibrating it so that we have a better chance of hitting the birds. Just waving the rifle and firing off some pellets in their direction doesn't scare them any more.

As it was such a lovely day we thought it would be a perfect evening to go down to Barricane Beach and treat ourselves to a Sri Lankan curry on the beach. Unfortunately so did everyone else. When we drove down there was not a single parking space along the road and even the expensive car park down at Woolacombe looked to be full up. We gave up in the end and drove home. Our only consolation was that if there were so many cars then the beach and the beach cafe would also have been very crowded. We'll try again another time.