It was a really frosty morning this morning, but of course that meant as the sun came up there was a wonderful clarity to the air and the world around me.
Taking time to grab the camera to get some last shots of an Autumnal morning here in Pangbourne made me stop and appreciate all the more the wonderful colours all around us.
This past few weeks has been wet and miserable, and sometimes it takes a bright fresh morning like this to make you look twice at things you have hurried past oh too quickly in a bid to stay as dry as possible.
Yesterday walking the dogs around our paddocks I had spent time re-attaching some of the new trees that line the drive back to their posts, the winds of the other week had tussled them free from their straps. It made me notice how few leaves were left and that the baby trees were pulling back as they seek to reserve their strength to last through the Winter ahead.
As I made my way into Chicken World all was quiet and peaceful save for a muffled crowing as Caldwell announced the start of their day. As usual I let the chicks and their Mum out first, simply to give them five minutes of dashing about on their own before the big girls appear to boss them all about.
Bat is always the first out, hence her name, short for 'Bat out of Hell', formerly known as 'Grey Boy' now the name Bat will stick. Her feathers, if you can call such a bundle of fluff feathered, are jet black and she shoots out of the bedroom of the Eglu just like a 'Bat out of Hell' I do like my chickens to have names that suit them and reflect their characters.
I opened the main henhouse to find an egg already laid and as I got started on cleaning the birds were down the ramp and already getting stuck in to breakfast.
Clambering for first pickings at the feeders ...
... and chatting at the drinkers.
Tabby and Daisy seeming deep in conversation for a few moments before taking an icy cold drink of the fresh water.
Walking back to the house the sky looked wonderful.
If you click on this picture to make it larger you will see a fine white squiggly line in between the two main aeroplane flumes. I don't know what made it but it looked as though someone had scribbled on the blue of the morning sky with a white marker pen.
Looking down a familiar little face running towards me tells me it's time to stop snapping and time to start feeding the four legged family members.
After such a wonderful start to the day it can only be good.
Sue xx