After all that atrocious rain we have now had three days of the most stupendous, glorious, uplifting spring-like weather. Note I say “spring-like”. Absolutely no one round here is fooled. Not even the flowers which are just beginning to wake but not too quickly. Spring has not “sprung” whatever the media say. Early flowers are a feature of every February but to hear the television and newspapers you would think this was unique. Shock horror – a magnolia is in bloom in a garden in Cornwall! Daffodills are in full flower! Birds are nesting! All these things happen EVERY February. Ravens, rooks and herons have been getting nests organised for weeks. It has far more to do with day length than temperature.

I noticed a couple of days ago that my goats’ cashmere is beginning to lift. It varies by several weeks each season. Last year it was April by the time we finished combing. This year we will start tomorrow and probably be finished by mid March although we can never be sure. This picture shows what I mean. You can see the undercoat quite clearly beneath the guard hairs.

Combing now is far from ideal. I try to time kidding so that the goats will  give birth before they are combed. Not that they seem to mind too much but there is a fair degree of handling and that’s always better avoided when animals are heavily pregnant. Obviously I’ve got it wrong this year. It can’t be helped. This is when it pays to know your animals and for them to know me. The stress is kept to a minimum as they know full well I am not going to hurt them.

So tomorrow it’s heads down and on with the job!