Yellow and blue

It was the most perfect spring day. I should have been up at dawn, but just couldn't quite work up the energy. But I did manage a fairly early walk, and the river was echoing with bird song and the yellow of the pussy willow was dazzling against the brilliant blue sky. For the first time this year the willow and cherry-plum blossom hummed with insects, two of which can be seen in this image as vague dark blurs.

I would have loved to work out in the garden, but instead I put the first coat of paint on the woodwork in the kitchen, tiled behind the sink and prepared a tender for a veteran tree survey, which took quite a lot of thought and calculation. And before I knew it, it was time to cook dinner...

The little speckled hen is now officially the most expensive chicken in the universe, having been taken to the vets. She's living indoors and has a special antiseptic wash and antibiotics that have to be administered twice a day. She seems remarkably cheerful given the size of the wound in her chest, though the vet only gave her a 50/50 chance of survival. But she's a fighter, so I'm trying to be optimistic...