Jane Aston, painter.

My cat with his new collar, courtesy of the brocante. My older cat who is a lot more homely hated  having a collar.This cat found on the roadside with a defunct leg that later had to be amputated is very happy to have a collar. He often stays out all night so I have had to tell people he is mine and a collar helps to let people know he does indeed have a home despite his wild ways.

A small packet of Larkspur and now nearly 4 years later I could have a field of them. I love Delphiniums the electric blue flowers. I have 1 growing out of a packet of seeds and this year I took a cutting after watching Monty Don. Until I establish a colony of Delphiniums I am more than happy with the Larkspur.

A little out of focus but love the design of this butterfly.

I have 3 Indian Running Ducks. They are a little timid at first but gradually  become  more brazen. They eat slugs and require a pen for the night. I have made a small incubator for the eggs as they don't seem to want to sit on their eggs. Here they are in the house. I have a small lean to that houses a vine and various things for gardening and cracked maize. The ducks are in looking for some maize. I talk to them a lot throughout the day and at various times they appear for a bit of a chat. This year while the slugs are a bit busy they are invaluable, they become quite excited by rain as they know there will be lots of free food. It's a bit disgusting seeing their beaks dripping with goo but it saves me dealing with the slugs eating my vegetables. My Dutch neighbour was complaining about how many there were this year and while my French neighbour cut me a lettuce there were 3 hiding under it. So Indian Running Ducks are excellent natural pest control and lovely to have around.