Daylight

It is, of course, about the longest day length in the year for us at the moment and given that we seem to have had summer in April, it is feeling slightly autumnal to me. Having found the camera (under a bag) I thought I'd take some pictures of nature's status in the growing season as I am always amazed at how early plants actually start setting seed:

This....

...plus this = embryonic crumble

A future champion?

Elderberry cordial to be

New Scots pine trees

So I know it might seem a bit depressing to be thinking about autumn but I am a bit obsessed with day length as I am studying the Cretaceous period when the global temperature was such that we had polar forests - Alaska was covered in cycads, ferns and conifers as well as flowering plants but because of the incredibly short growing period of about 3 months they were all deciduous. Of course, most of the 3 months was continous daylight but I find it incredible that plants adapted so brilliantly to the intense growth whilst still protecting themselves from maruading, migrating herbivorous dinosaurs...

Anyway, dragging myself back to the Cainozoic, my soap is now airing or curing or whatever:

 

It bears a disturbing resemblance to rum-and-raisin fudge

Oh yes I know I said in my last blog that it would have to wait til I got the proper stuff but everyone reading this knows I'm far too impatient to do that so having googled, I used milk instead of water and guessed the temperature.

And here's the regulation chicken picture - Maud and Mary in their rural idyll:

Not going to make it in to Country Living magazine is it

And just to make up for the lack of pictures yesterday, Tristan with the cake he made:

Clever lad

:-)