Teasels at dawn

..okay, not dawn exactly, but before breakfast anyway. I do love that raking sidelight but it does make me wonder whether the old chaps who went out duelling at 6 in the morning didn't have rather a hard time of it with sun in their eyes or black shadows.

Anyway, these teasels were taken in my favourite barley field again. There are 2 good areas of set-aside, where the wild flowers grow in profusion and where I once again saw brown butterflies and marbled whites and lots of small orange moths. The deer have been in the fields since yesterday too - in several places they've flattened little nests and there was a long wobbly trail going diagonally right up the hill - the farmer will be pleased!! Lots of poppies, borage, scabious and mulleins and I saw a large black beetle and some rather purposeful slugs crossing the path on my way back.

Work is still mopping up from the weekend, as well as getting on with our 3 theatre companies, but I've finally managed to pay my tax - phew! I always leave it till the last minute and one day I'll get caught out..