Sue Woodcock: Spring colours hint at more shades to come

At this time of year it seems that nature can find an infinite number of shades in a colourful world – bright blue sky, white, fluffy clouds, leaves shyly emerging and the blossoms on the bushes and trees hinting at more colour to come. The daffodils up here are in full bloom now. No longer are the buds sticky on the chestnut trees and the pussy willow buds are delicate and soft. Soon they will break out into lush, green sprouts.

Everywhere the lambs are arriving in their hundreds except at my place. I heard of a terrible incident up at Malham where a terrier got loose and killed six lambs and injured another before its owner could catch it. He did the right thing and sorted it out with the farmer and was terribly distressed about it as were the many people who witnessed it. It is a lesson of how careful dog owners must be at this time of the year. A rampaging dog, even if it doesn't kill, can cause a ewe to desert her lamb. A farmer has the right to shoot a dog which is worrying livestock.

My lambs are growing and starting to gang up and gambol around. I went out early one morning to find a distressed lamb by its apparently very still mother. But I found she was rigwelted over and couldn't get up. This was soon remedied and she and the lamb took off and glowered at me from a safe distance.

Henry the stag turkey is proudly displaying to the ladies as he believes he is incredibly handsome. I am sure the hen turkeys think so too. I like turkeys but they are not the brightest. When I feed the birds they run with a wobbling gait towards me, gobbling and squawking. They were not made for running and make me laugh. Their hens are laying but abandon the eggs because they haven't got a clue what to do next.

My lovely but aggressive gander became very ill and died, I think of pneumonia. I shall miss him but have already arranged to get another. Meanwhile one of the geese is sitting on a clutch down in the mire and I dare not get too close. She defends the nest in earnest and an angry goose is not something I choose to take on. Most of the ducks have gone to a new home except three, two of which have been poorly but now seem to be on the mend. The previously bald chickens are now looking magnificent in their new plumage. I was clearing up a pile of stone beside the house and the chickens soon realised that this was a source of slugs, worms and creepy crawlies. I had to stop several times and wait while they feasted.

The other evening I had finally sat down in my front room and was spinning and watching the TV when I noticed a large spider approaching across the floor. The dogs noticed it too. Ewan, who is scared of chickens, investigated and then ran away. The other dogs are all for devouring the poor spider so I quickly caught it and removed it outside. I found Ewan hiding under my bed.

I sang with the Buckden Singers at the funeral of a much-loved and wonderful man this week. Chris Hammond was a man I greatly admired. I first met him when I worked at Scargill House. At the invitation of the community at Scargill, I attended an open afternoon there together with many of the local people. It was nice to return to a place where I have been so happy to work.