Having said in an earlier post that 4am starts either signal the start of a holiday or a trip to the abattoir, this morning’s 4am start was for logistical reasons only, dropping the other half off so he could attend a conference.

As I returned to the farm at 6am, the dogs and I enjoyed a stunningly clear sunrise which signalled the day to come. This morning (so far) has been bright and blue, if a little windy.

On our walk through one of the cattle paddocks (minus the cows who are still inside waiting for the grass to grow) something white caught my eye.

Nearing it, and making sure the dogs didn’t notice, I realised it was a skull.

For me, this is a terribly exciting find!

Exciting because I find them fascinating and because I have a passion for taxidermy. Skulls (as well as shells) are also incredibly wonderful items to sketch – being an artist this is always in the back of my mind.

My collection of skulls includes:

• Fox
• Badger
• Cow
• Horse
• Herdwick Sheep
• Curlew
• …and now this, which I think is a rabbit or hare

With the sun still shining we’re all about to head outside to crack on with the weeding, unless the wind gets the better of us.

Have a fabulous day whatever you’re up to…