The Gang Of Four and I have a new ritual together. Every morning, while Maria is taking care of her pony, I rake out the excess hay in the barn – I hate a sloppy barn. The Gang Of Four – the regal Romneys – come running over to pore through it and gobble it up, today, just as the sun burst over the horizon. I am fond of the Gang Of Four, they have added some richness and character to the farm.

It was good to see the sun  return to the farm, after an absence of several gloomy, rainy days.