I love that feeling of waking in the mornings and knowing that for a change I'm not the first one up! I admit I'm an early riser and enjoy it, but it can be a bit lonely in the winter months waiting and hoping - usually in vain - for one of my brood to bring me a cup of tea while I'm still tucked up in bed.

But now we're firmly into spring it seems that the whole world is getting up hours before I do. And not just earlier but noisier, too. The sound of the singing spring birds with their mating calls at dawn are as rudely enthusiastic as any royal welcome and more reliable than a teasmade and alarm clock combined.  Trevor, one of our neighbours in the village and an expert on birds, tells me he's seen around a dozen chiffchaff in the woods and three pairs of mating Water Rails. So that explains it!

The birds that live at the Lough over the colder months - winter ducks, Gadwall, Goldeneye, Shoveller, Teal and Little Grebe - left at the beginning of March, and now it's the turn of the spring arrivals to take up their sentry posts around The Tranquil Otter. All but a pair of Dave's (the resident mute swan) offspring had flown the nest during March and I've since noticed the arrival of a pair of Greylag geese as well as the mad chaffinch who attacks his reflection in any panes of glass or mirrors he can find. (Could it be the same one that guests at Chiffchaff Lodge had seen divebombing their kitchen window? I saw that one thoughtful guest in Dunnock Lodge had put a handkerchief over the wing mirror of their car, perhaps to save the chaffinch from himself. It's all in the genes...)

The Greylag geese have taken up residence in the little bay near our house, a favourite spot for both nesting birds and the heron when he is getting ready for an attack launch into the lake. And talking of nature red in tooth and claw, I really hope that the geese, once they've had their goslings, are better able to protect their little ones against the buzzards than they were a few years ago when a brood of eight was down to one by the end of the summer.

Nick and I saw a beautiful bird on the lawn this morning with a long beak and a white breast - we think it was a Little Ringed Plover - and later on in the day had to carefully step over a small toad that was making its way in no great hurry across the track that leads to the lodges. We stopped to watch its leisurely hopping gait for a few minutes before it decided it was being observed and declined to go any further. As we started to walk away, it carried on its journey - but this time, utterly beguilingly, crawling like a child on all fours.

As I reflect on the start of a new year of life for all the creatures who come and go at The Tranquil Otter, I think how amazing it is that, a bit like Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace, the ceremonies of nature happily go on without us yet under our noses - and how memorable to be one of the spectators.

Here is a full list of birds spotted at the Otter at Easter.

Blackbird, Blackcap, Black-headed gull, Blue tit, Bullfinch, Buzzard, Carrion crow, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Coal tit, Coot, Dunnock, Goldfinch, Great spotted woodpecker, Great tit, Greylag goose, Herring gull, House sparrow, Jay, Lapwing, Lesser black-backed gull, Lesser redpoll, Little grebe, Mallard, Mistle thrush, Moorhen, Mute swan, Nuthatch, Pheasant, Robin, Siskin, Song thrush, Sparrowhawk, Teal, Tufted duck, Water rail, Wigeon, Woodpigeon, Wren.

Even though the rest of the Country is deep in snow, the sun is shining in Cumbria and I feel spring in the air. Each new day is a little longer than the last with fewer sightings of the Christmas Robin. Snow drops and crocus are pushing thr...

Gretna Green has always been a favourite location amongst couples and we recently received an invite to eat out at the town’s beautiful Smiths Hotel.

I am feeling like one of our mute swans at the moment.  I think I’m still managing to seem serene and under control but, beneath the surface, I am paddling like mad.

The nights are drawing in fast and the mornings are dark too but the Lough at The Tranquil Otter is bustling with winter visitors – not only our guests in the lodges but also plenty of birds out on the lake including mute swan, little grebe, wigeon and moorhen.  I love waking up to all the bustle and activity in the summer months but there’s something intriguing about a view gradually emerging on a winter morning too.

Tullie House is one of my favourite places in Carlisle, great coffee, a gift shop in which to get lost for at least an hour, a gallery, museum and a lovely garden to explore.

From the Tranquil Otter you may just be able to make out wind turbines close by; these are at Watchtree Nature Reserve, a former disused airfield and now the biggest man made nature reserve in Europe. Well worth a look.

You are really missing out if you have not had an opportunity to visit the Solway Firth. It is rightly categorised as an area of outstanding natural beauty. Prone to flooding, it is used primarily by local farmers for feeding their stock at various times of the year.

One of our favourite destination is Walby Farm park; not far to go and so much to do, especially on a rainy day and it is good to have something up one's sleeve. When in South London it was the soft play at the Brixton Rec or Peckham and here is a fa...

A pre-condition of getting Leah from the Dog's home was that she would need to be speyed. As usual, Nick, trained in Lambeth's Dog psychology, wanted none of it. We ignored the Dog's Refuge for a year and eventually they just made the appointment ...

Cycling solo is not something I would have attempted in a City or even in Carlisle. Last weekend, the weather was dull and seemed just right to explore Solway villages by cycle. Mostly on c roads this map sets out a lovely route; apparently these...

We now have another urban being staying with us; nephew from Birmingham who had no experience of countryside or dogs. Here is a picture of Leah taken by said nephew. ...

Nick has been managing the woods around the Lough with help from the Forestry Commission. Ours and the adjoining woods includes ancient woodlands; and a large number of trees were planted before the Second World War. Late last year I noticed wha...

Today we felt the force of nature when we woke up to choppy waters, trees swaying and wind whistling through the trees. There was the inevitable re-arrangement of garden furniture, including the chicken run. As a result, our cockerel and two hens e...

Nick and Mike have been working diligently to clear the Canadian Pond Weed and the silt on which it grows, from the Lough, which is both a blessing and a nuisance. A blessing because it releases oxygen into the water, the absence of which can be...

Recently we have taken to cycling to the nearest pub, having lunch and cycling back. On the last three occasions we've cycled to The Greyhound at Burgh by Sands with Leah, as they allow dogs into the bar. This week we decided to try further afield...

Early one morning just as the day was breaking …. I looked out of the bedroom window and normally I see ducks, geese or Mute Swans, however today I saw a sight that just had to be captured. Unfortunately my camera is not great for action shots, so with regret the picture is not such good quality, but it is still a sight to see.

We had our first encounter with a hedgehog when it got imprisoned in the Grey Squirrel trap the other day. Timid little thing didn’t want to come out of the trap and clung on for dear life when Nick and the boys tried to ease him out gently. In the end he had to be shaken out, and then he curled into a ball and rolled away.

Horses are such a big part of the countryside. Jon did have a riding lesson on his 5th Birthday and we have a little hazy picture of him on Wimbledon Common. In Cumbria riding is part of life and our boys have just joined the ranks of she-riders at Ride it Rite stables.

It's great to get out on a walk to the Lake District National Park and there are so many walks that allow children to run and explore and get fresh air into their lungs. Fabulous views for all to enjoy.