As the winds drive the rain and hail hard in our faces, and the mud encompasses the undercarriage of little Peachie, while Vesta lags behind looking visibly older under the onslaught of the inclement weather, it is hard not to let the gloom of the days drag one down in spirit. It is at times like this that I find it so important to exercise myself ‘spiritually’ with praise and the above hymn written by St Francis is a wonderful antidote to bad weather and feelings!

These dark, damp days are mercifully interspersed with ones of uplifting beauty and encouragement. Suddenly the blue skies are with us, the wonderful colours of the downs seem washed to perfection, and Peachie has discovered for the first time in her short life what happens to puddles when it is frosty - you cannot drink from them and if you put your paws on them they go ‘crack’ and get wet!

But perhaps the best use of these dark, windy, wet days is to give oneself more time to read and contemplate. Then maybe when the lovely long summer days are with us again, we will have developed a spiritual life and pattern that will take us well beyond the weather conditions!