Dreadlock Holyday

Or to adapt a "cricket" song "I don't like Mondays, I love them".

A bit of cheating for my Holy Monday Blip. This is Ottobeuren Basilica again. However it was such a cracking lovely day that there was no way I was going to waste a minute inside a building, searching through forests for hidden chapels. I did at least try out a new walk and a slightly different view.

Last night it managed to drop down to about -4°C  and at long last a bit of frozen ground and the snow had firmed up. However one can tell spring is  on the way - at 9:00am, steam was rising from the snow on top of wooden fence posts. The sun is getting back it's strength and certainly did me a power of good.

When we had finished the horse stables and were about to set off to Ottobeuren, Luna started barking fiercely at the forest. I ignored her for a minute or two, assuming she was scaring off a  pack of brown or perhaps even polar bears. Then had a look and saw a pair of deer just 15m away staring back at me. Then they just continued to search for food. So long as we behave normally, barking and talking etc they always stay calm.

During the walk we went through a farm and the farmer was very concerned the unleashed dogs would go after his free Indian Runner ducks. Was able to reassure him and he was very impressed, not having seen a BC before. I can quite understand his concern, particularly as he said he had lost a few to passing dogs. Flash really showed off and got a large fallen branch from under a tree in a nearby meadow and gave it to him - the farmer was occupied with splitting logs! He said sticks left by dogs and owners on his meadows was almost as bad as the rubbish thrown out of car windows. He wasn't a grumpy old complaining type as such and I can sadly agree with his anger over rubbish. 
The farm is in the hamlet called Böglins with an official road sign. The farm has House Nr.1. About 100m away is ... no, not Nr.2 but Nr. 1½. Once you have seen that house which we did as it's rather unusual, you have completed the hamlet tour!

Luna will chase crows and I was a bit concerned today that the crows appeared shortly after letting the chickens out. We lost two chickens last week probably to a buzzard and often the crows presence is a sign a bird of prey is around. Certainly with kites they are noisy and chase them but I'm not sure if even they trust a buzzard. Didn't see the buzzard but haven't checked how many hens we have this evening.