Yesterday we went to an open farm; once we'd been there for a while we no longer noticed the aroma of silage and manure, and had the delight of seeing tiny chicks, lambs and calves, a wonderful reminder of the circle of life.

In some ways it is a great shame that formerly working farms have to turn themselves into tourist attractions to be able to sustain themselves but, were it not for such places many urban dwellers would not have the opportunity to experience rural pursuits at all. Here, we could show the children a milking shed, the enormity of a pig and the minuteness of a harvest mouse; the farm cats slurped golden yellow milk from a tray in the yard, and the children played freely in the straw barn.

Some time ago we drove around for miles in search of somewhere to walk in nature, but there were barbed wire fences and keep out signs wherever we went, denying access to us and our hungry souls. However,God gave this earth to all of us to share, after all. How on Earth could it be right for someone's acceass to be denied?

The circle of life touches us all, as we know. My daughter came rushing downstairs in the evening, to tell me about the BAFTA awards which was paying tribute to the showbiz deaths during the last 12 months. She also seemed bemused by the planning of the evening, which had the award following that emotional tribute, to which a large portion of the celebrity audience reacted with free-flowing tears, being presented by one of the stars of the drama "Waking the Dead!"

Still, Spring seems to have sprung, at last, and we thoroughly enjoyed our foray into rural Sussex.

For tea, as it was the afternoon of their father's fortnightly visit, we went to Harry Ramsden's near the pier. We were amused by another example of things not being fully thought through: the children's menus were decorated with word searches on a fishy theme, and pictures to colour. We were also brought a teacup full of colouring pencils which would not make any form of impression on the glossy paper at all!

I am, of course, all in favour of living in the moment, but we do need to consider the consequences of our actions. Everything we do, if not done to the best of our ability, is possibly hardly worth doing.

LAUGH LOUDLY!
LOVE FULLY!
ACT PASSIONATELY!
GIVE TOTALLY!

Everything you give, comes back to you, after all.

Have a wonderful day!

xxxx