What a sunrise!

For the first time in a long time I was up before the birds (jet lag does that to you sometimes).  Walking down to the kitchen the hall was ablaze in gold and red, and walking outside to see the sky reminded me of what a stunningly beautiful place we live in!

Fiery sunrise through the macrocarpas by the orchard.

Pink nor-west clouds above the rhododendrons at front of the house

Amazing colours out the back.

As well as super-dramatic sunrises, it's clear that while we've been away there's been a lot of rain and a lot of growth.  Everything is so green, the lambs and calves are bouncing around the paddocks, there's masses of growth in the pastures - and some of the farmers are already cutting for silage, which is way earlier than normal.  The horses have lost their winter coats, the rhododendrons are in, or about to, flower, the horse chestnut trees have their gorgeous spires of pink and white flowers, and judging from the temperatures over the last couple of days, we should be in for a lovely warm summer!