WEST PECKHAM

Darcy, now 3, is a wee sweety - goes to 'school' three mornings but in the afternoon yesterday (after her nap) we went to Penshurst Place to feed their chickens and play on their swings.

 Even I was impressed by this chicken coop - it is fully fenced but includes a "woodland" area out the back.   Free range, yet not ... but free range enough to have had a visit from Mr Fox the night before.

Julia assures me that this is the correct way to sit (I took the photo from the 'pushing' position) and Darcy certainly agreed.  It'd also work for twins, I suspect.

It was interesting to see numerous mole hills around the grounds - there had been a report on TV only days ago about the problems moles are becoming at the moment.  Evidently, when they dig out their burrows, the worms are left dangling into the tunnel and become the next meal - which means that the grounds are not being aerated (by said worms) - which means the land becomes less productive.

Today I was meant to move on from Julia's house to visit her aunt, Jill for a couple of days.  Unfortunately Jill had surgery on her eye a week ago and has had a bit of a rough time with it - so instead, I went over at about 11 a.m. and came back to Julia's around 7.00 p.m.  It's a bit over 30 minutes' drive, so wasn't too difficult - though it is getting dark by then and there are some very narrow, twisting roads between here and there.  And it does remind me how useful it is to have a car over here.  It's nice to remain independent.

I saw Jill at Darcy's birthday on Sunday and was glad to see, today, that she has vastly improved. Today we were able to drive to see her horse, Luke.   I've been there before with her and was pleased to renew my acquaintanceship with the three ferrets at the stables.

One of them was found by a local, sitting on the road.  It only has three legs.  Despite ferrets having a bad reputation - remember that poor television reporter who had one latched to his finger once? - the owner of the stables happily picked them up and stroked them freely.  I even had a stroke myself. (of the ferret, not of high blood pressure)

On our way up there, we saw a dozen (at least) pheasants strutting around the hedges.  Jill told me that they are especially reared for "the shoot" but each year many of them miss getting shot and so numbers are increasing.  I was driving, so didn't take any photos, but the male (as always) was the more beautiful by far.

Last time I was there, we went and saw where the beaver had a hide - but they had long since left.  The only one I actually saw had become a road kill in the morning and Mr Fox's evening meal by the next morning.  I forgot to check whether they'd returned this year.

And so this nature ramble concludes!  Tomorrow I hope to catch up with another cousin (on mum's side) when she comes into Sevenoaks.  Somewhere our families all link through some sisters (one of whom was my grandmother) but it gives me a headache to try to start working it out again and we all just claim one another as family (mum's side being a bit short on relations) and carry on.

I am hoping that the stinging throat I'm turning out the light with (contortionist as well as everything else) is no more than lack of fluids today.  Surely it can't be my third cold in as many months??