Sue Woodcock: A quieter week gives me the time to reflect on nature’s riches

I am not complaining however. The air is always fresh and clear and first thing in the morning when there is a haze over the hills the stillness is most calming.

The sweet smell of new mown hay wafts across from neighbouring fields and the scent of meadow sweet from down the lane is most refreshing.

First thing you can see wildlife preparing for the day. Even the moles seem to emerge much to the delight of Brillo who obviously has a mission in life to rid the world of them without a great deal of success.

As the day heats up the chickens lie basking in the sunshine and indulge in dust baths. The sheep take shelter in the shade behind the barn or even in the barn where they knock over anything they can.

The swallows flit around the buildings in a frantic display of aerial navigation, the pied wagtails hop around the yard and the wrens peck hopefully where the grain is put down for the chickens.

Down in the mire you find the realm of a thousand moths which flutter up from the reeds as I approach only to settle back when I have moved.

Some of them are tiny and delicate. Others are colourful and seem to blunder around.

In the undergrowth of the grasses there are the little harvestmen spiders with their spindly thread-like legs and spherical bodies.

Some of the spiders have bright yellow or green bodies and there are even some pink and green ones.

They hide in perfect camouflage in the sphagnum mosses.

My guest dog Gizmo is having great fun bullying Boo but they play together for hours noisily and with great energy especially if I am trying to watch something on the telly or am attempting to have a chat on the phone.

I have a new foster dog, a tiny Jack Russell bitch and I have a loving home lined up for her. I have called her Ginny and even though she is half the size of Brillo she intends to boss all the dogs. She was seriously under-nourished and very timid but that soon changed.

Quite early on she came face to face with my cuckoo maran cockerel Samson who towered above her and she quickly decided discretion was the better part of valour and retreated.

Samson strutted around crowing for ages until he stumbled over an empty bucket and gave me a very dirty look when I laughed at him.

Brillo and Ginny discovered a rat and the two of them went after it in a pincer movement but it escaped into a wall before they could get it.

I could have sworn they were blaming each other as they went off in search of others but couldn’t find any.

I went out for a stint on Street Angels and enjoyed it. Skipton was busy with youngsters celebrating the start of the holidays. The Dales are full of holidaymakers and at the quiz on the Sunday evening our visitors included a couple from Toronto who told me they loved the area.

Walkers stream up past my gate much to the delight of the dogs who like to assure them that I never feed them.

A lovely young couple came to look round the house but as yet I have not had an offer. It will take time to find a suitable buyer I know and I am in no hurry.

Already the light is fading earlier in the evenings. When I come home at night I need a torch if the moon is not out.

It gives me a chance to watch the bats hunting and to listen to the night noises. It is never totally silent here, even during darkness.

I have been frantically knitting this week. A friend who is crippled with arthritis cannot wear normal socks and whilst tidying up in the barn I found some fine and suitable sock wool.

It takes time and persistence but I hope it will help him. It certainly keeps me occupied!