New life

Ray’s course went well and the flights to and from Belfast and Slovakia were unaffected by volcanic ash and strikes so the course participants were able to travel reasonably easily. The warm weather proved a blessing to the models who are usually expected to shiver in the cold for most of the year.

The longer days and warmer weather have brought the deer to our garden one again. During recent summers one or more sleeps on the lawn and even if they go before we are up we can see the shape of where they have been on the otherwise dewy grass. Over the weekend a young stag has spent quite a lot of time in our back garden but then on Saturday we had a visit from a doe with her very young fawn. The fawn was one of the youngest I have seen and they were only a few feet away from me on the patio.

During the night the young stag slept on the back lawn under the apple tree but by early morning he was ready to leave. However, he was quickly replaced by the doe who this time brought along two fawns. They had a thoroughly good time racing to and fro across the garden. They prefer the cut grass of the lawn to the rougher grass at the bottom which hasn’t yet been strimmed because of the masses of primroses.

Each summer we have the pleasure of seeing the foxes and deer with their young but it never fails to impress. It is such a promise of new life which, in my limbo state, is inspiring.