how sweet!

I've realised one of the most common phrases I use when by myself in the kitchen is 'how sweet!'  Now, this isn't because I'm cooking up sugary desserts (sorry), but rather because it's the best place to view the garden and the bird feeders. 

The coal tits flit to and fro from the seed feeder; the blackbird attempts to hang off the fat ball feeder - 'how sweet!' I say.

The great tits explore every nook and cranny of the garden with characteristic curiosity. A blue tit sits and preens itself quietly - 'how sweet!' I say.


Watching them have a splashy bath always provokes a comment.  Recently we've been having a male blackcap in the garden.  This morning he took a bath.  'How sweet!' I said.

The other day one of the goldfinches simply perched in one of the nearest bushes and trilled its little heart out.

'How sweet!'

on camera

Just one of our hedgehogs!

avocet attack!

Avocets: beautiful, elegant...and a tiny bit temperamental, as we saw last week...
(images are heavily cropped due to only having standard lens, thus low resolution - but love the content!)

Watch him coming...

Moorhens aren't exempt...

Although it's definitely the ducks he's really after - her expression says it all:

Woomph! Good grief!

"I'm the King of the Scrape"

in the garden by night...

...An hour ago...

I slide out of the back door and ease my way along the garden path and halt. It's dusk, and the light is fading rapidly. I know what I'm hoping for, I've seen it three days ago. I'm desperate to know if it's still there. So I stand, and I wait. It feels eerie, standing there in the dark, listening to every dark rustle - every flutter of a moth. And I wait. An occasional almost-sound - but it could be a mouse. Or a nighttime insect batting against the leaves. I stay, waiting. Hoping.

As my eyes begin to struggle, my hearing becomes sharper. I hear every flutter, every swish, every breath. Charlie in his hutch behind me - the only noise I can actually identify. Then - a shake. I mean, an actual shake. Like an animal when it shakes. And I could swear, it's up behind the pond, the place which holds the most interest for me. But was I imagining the direction? Were my senses off, and it was the rabbit behind me? Charlie can shake. But...that is the opposite direction.

I wait. And there, by the steps, emerging from behind the pond grasses, comes the hedgehog. I am clenched with delight. The first sighting, which I intended to write here and still haven't managed it - is thoroughly confirmed. Three days ago I was peeling potatoes and glanced out the window and - I'm going mad, is that a hedgehog? At 3.30pm?! Later I go and look at the hedgehog house, worrying it may not be in a fit state to receive guests, so I open the lid slightly. And close it, quietly and hurriedly, on glimpsing a little ball of spines.

This evening I was feeling a little glum and thinking I may not see it again, or that I'd disturbed it - and then worrying it had been ill since I saw it during the day. But then...at 9pm...I went outside. And I waited. The beautiful little creature found its way to the food I'd been laying out (and has been disappearing, I might add, every night) and proceeded to spend at least 20 minutes munching happily. I just stand there and watch, the joy of the moment keeping me on my feet - I stood in a way that was the least tiring and before I realised it, I'd been standing there for 50 minutes.

Intriguingly, as I watched, squinting in the darkness, another odd sound was emanating from the bed beside the path. It was a scraping, crunching sort of sound. Definitely not a moth. I never saw this second creature, but it seemed evident that there was one, down in the dark. (Last week I was pondering that the garden was a little overgrown lately - now I'm thrilled with the fact.) There was even a third noise, from another part of the garden, which intrigued me. There were noises around the pond, and one of the grasses suddenly jerked. One day I will sit out in a deck chair and listen.

The hedgehog finished up (must put out larger helping!) and moved into the flower bed - but before it did, it wandered a little in my direction and then - shook itself vigorously. It was the very same sound, and I couldn't help grinning the third time I heard it, from under the bushes.

As darkness was setting in good and proper, I bid a retreat when I saw the hedgehog go back towards the hedgehog house behind the pond area (so overgrown itself that it would be difficult for anything to drown in it, thank goodness). I heard more rustling and wondered if it was trotting down the pebbly bit to have a drink - quite possibly. Too dark for any photography, but nothing could beat the real thing, anyway.

When I first saw the hedgehog (assuming it is the same one), I had been feeling stressed and just back from the doctor. Was praying for help but seemed to get no clarification, so went to sort potatoes. And looked out of the window. And I could hardly believe my eyes. Our garden is fenced in, and has lots of drops and steps. I'd always thought a hedgehog would never get in. There was a moment of indecision about even using the hedgehog house in this garden when my brother and sister-in-law gave it to us a couple of years ago. I am so glad we did.

You know what the cure for stressed out fed-up-ness is? A moment of pure delight. A tiny part of me - which made the rest of me blush - thought: I was miserable, so God sent a hedgehog. Which will sound very silly, but there are stranger things that happen in this world.

Whenever and however this hedgehog encounter started, I am very grateful for it, and long may we have our hedgehog friend!

natural therapy

Well, what happened to last week? I was here, I simply didn't write anything: quite busy with various things, and when I had a bit of free time my brain had turned mush-like, which is not conducive to writing. Possibly it would have got into gear if I'd written a sentence or two, but never mind.

We celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary last week. Had a meal out and went out to an RSPB nature reserve on Andy's day off, which was very nice. So many butterflies! Am rather fond of butterflies.

Had splintering-oh-good-grief-horrible headache last night. Did not go to church this morning but planning on going this evening for the communion service. Had an hour this afternoon sitting in the sunshine in the garden (with hat and sunblock!) which was lovely and relaxing...speaking of butterflies, there was a Painted Lady lounging on the buddhleia next to me, absolutely beautiful. Have not seen one since the throng that came through a few weeks back (see here). Also noted the honey bees accompanying it - glad of that due to the plight of the honey bee. Bumbles everywhere, as always in our buzz-friendly garden!!

The goldfinches occasionally on feeder while I was out there - the female is very unsure and flies off the minute she sees me, but he is beginning to tolerate me. Impressed I was close enough to tell them apart! (There is another 'set' of goldfinches in the neighbourhood - had the two fledglings sitting cheeping on the washing line last weekend - very cute!) Mr Blackbird has reappeared - seemed to disappear while we were on holiday, but discovered him sheltering in the forsythia from the rain yesterday. Threw him some raisins. On discovering 'normal service' has resumed, he's been dropping in all day today with his plaintive look. Even more plaintive as he is mid-moult and rather raggedy!

Still struggling with neck and head problems, but nature was very therapeutic for me this afternoon. Charlie in uber-relaxed state, happy to receive some attention.

Craft group tomorrow morning...have made a poster for them in style of scrapbook page, hope they like it...

back to the list....

I have returned!! We have been away for a two week break - hence the silence blog-wise. I will try and do a 'holiday post' where those of you who are interested can learn more about it.

Nothing inspirational today, am working through post-holiday washing, sorting out various bits plus doing a bit of quick tidying/deadheading in the garden. Have had a bit of an invasion by Harlequin Ladybirds in the front garden - they have massacred the aphid population which is extremely useful (since we could previously not see buds for aphids), but they are an invasive Asian species which is potentially causing problems for our beautiful native ladybirds. So I have mixed feelings about their presence.

I have excessive amounts of photographs to upload but that will have to wait until I have a chunk of time to set aside for it!

Woke up feeling the coming-back-blues, but keeping busy and trying to ignore them. Have a physio appointment and a dentist's appointment this week. It was very refreshing while on holiday not to be continuously trying to remember what i should be doing every day. I have lists which have 'see other list' as a list item, to illustrate the point. It's not so much about the amount needing doing - it's my silly memory which makes life so regimented list-wise!!

Anyway, I will try and stop by some other blogs gradually over the next few days.

For now - I have to go check my list...

I've got my eye on you

Just to say I am taking a break from blogging for the next few days or so, but I will be back. Don't go away!

A brief shot of one of the fledgling blue tits which come to the fat cake feeder regularly. One of them, more yellow in the face than this one, will happily come down on it when I'm sitting a metre away. This one is taken from the kitchen window:

I've got my eye on you!

the fact of the matter

the fact of the matter is
I'm a work in progress

every so often I remember
those who are far worse off than I am
and keep things all
in their proper perspective
every so often

sometimes I ignore
the impulse to strike out
in my defence, remaining
wisely silent and calm
sometimes

from time to time, I let go
of the need for the approval
of others, and focus instead
on the One who truly matters
from time to time

once in a while, I have
an utterly generous moment,
and all I can think of
is giving to another
once in a while

occasionally, I take time
to stop, reflect, and be thankful
for all that I've been given,
rather than all I think I lack
occasionally

every now and then, I can almost
touch the beautiful proximity
of my creator, sensing
his extravagant love
every now and then

the fact of the matter is
I'm a work in progress




***

The last few days, the air outside the front door has been full of butterflies, mainly Painted Ladies, coming through on the wave of warmer weather. Summer, after politely waiting in the wings while we all cooed with delight at Spring, is emerging. When I walked out with my camera this morning, the heat of the sun instantly hit me - making me realise I was wearing the wrong clothes.

Do you ever get the feeling you are wearing the wrong clothes? I feel it, when I end up being all the things I hate. When I'm irritable, impatient, selfish, consumed with a desire to please everyone, when all I can see is me and I forget the needs of everyone else. There's an awareness niggling at the edge of my mind, knowing, somehow, that I'm wearing the wrong clothes. And as soon as I turn to seek God's face, and feel his warmth, it becomes even more obvious.


My identity is in Jesus Christ, so when I behave in a way contrary to that lifestyle, I am acting outside of my true identity. I'm growing into it, I suppose you could say, but there are times I need to draw back and think - no, wait. I don't have to respond to this situation like this. With God's help, I can win over my natural reflexes (forces of habit, a lot of them). Instead of letting my insecurities take the reins, I can choose to dwell on the security of being 'in Christ', getting things in perspective, choosing to be wise.
I wear the wrong clothes a lot of the time. But in Colossians we are told:
Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. (Colossians 3:12-14)

Those are the things we should be wearing. I am a work in progress. I'm not going to get it right all the time. But I would like to do it a little more frequently than I do now. I want to see the transformation of my heart and mind. So that one day I will be as beautifully clothed as those butterflies, after their own amazing metamorphosis. I want to be who I was made to be.

bloggy business

Argh! Just wrote entire post then it disappeared, and auto-saved before I could get out! I shall try again, but may not be as cheerful as the first time (if I get through it at all).

I managed to win a free blog button designed by Mommy Designs Blogs courtesy of Angela over at Becoming Me, which was a surprise - so that will appear at some point! Thanks, guys.

Not sure whether anyone is so devoted to my blog that they would put my button in their sidebar! Well, perhaps one prospective blogger...you heard it here first, folks (unless you're one of the buns over at this blog, where I may have mentioned it in a comment!) - Charlie is in the process of setting up his own blog.

He's very fussy, as you may imagine, but hopefully it won't be too long before he enters the public blogosphere. I've told him firmly not to expect daily posts, since I get the impression I will have to do most of the work. After all, his typing skills are appalling, and just between you and me, his spelling is atrocious, too.

Went to our Chronic Fatigue Group meetup yesterday - not sure what to call us now that we're meeting up under our own steam...not that we have much steam between us! Good to see each other and have some laughs (especially when we forget where we are in conversation and lots of umming and er-ing ensues).

Am intending to write a Good Friday post tomorrow, all being well. Am going to Maundy Thursday communion tonight; not sure if I'll manage tomorrow's services but plan to be there am and pm on Easter Day. Lots of chilling on Bank Holiday Monday! Andy has taken some time off next week to have a bit of a rest, so hopefully it will be a nice relaxing time for us.

Now, for the second time, I am intending to go and tidy the bedroom. Beyond my side of the bed is what I call my Zone of Chaos (cue dramatic music) - need to get it under control for a little while. Before Chaos rules again...

Today: 3/10, medium high

BREAKING NEWS!

The goldfinches are nesting in next door's magnolia tree, which overhangs our garden. Cue breathless excitement and nauseating terror - in case next door go on a pruning spree. Please don't!!

pictures of March

Some photos taken during the past month, which have not previously been posted. Click on the 'photos' label to see older posts containing pictures.

beyond

the fence

hillside

shining through

trees

funky fungi

from below

magnolia blossom


"kiss me"
(anenome de caen in bud)

Was cleaning out rabbit hutch this morning, quite a time consuming task now Charlie has such a large hutch, and was very aware of being quietly observed. Well, not so quietly at all in fact. The blue tits scolding from the bushes, great tits hollering from the roof, and the goldfinches flying round and round, landing in the tree, considering me, and then flying back and forth again. So delightful to have them as regulars - something that has happened just in the past month, since the new Niger feeder was introduced. Two long tailed tits also passed through. Everything pairing up. Great tits are gathering nest materials...

Today: 4/10, medium - high

feeding the birds my way

You know you get those feeders which are supposed to hold fat balls for birds? (Perhaps it's a UK thing?!) Like this:


On the occasions I've gone out and bought the 'fat balls' and placed them in it, inevitably they get a little bit pecked at, but not much. Pretty soon, they go moldy. It seems to me that you need to hang them out individually, unless you have birds which are particularly keen.

Now, I occasionally make 'fat cake' for our birds, and hang it in upside down yoghurt pots, etc. They do seem to like it. So I was struck by an idea. I got an empty kitchen roll tube and made up some mix (no real recipe, I'm afraid, seed/oats, peanuts crushed in the food processor, shredded cheese, little bit of suet, enough lard to make it harden okay...). I pressed it into the cardboard tube, really firmly so i got as much as I could inside. Then I wrapped it in cling film and put it in the fridge:

About 36 hours later, I removed it from the fridge and sliced it open with a knife.




Got my feeder, and bingo! Perfect fit.

They loved it. Great tits and blue tits ignoring both seed and peanut feeders and focusing on the 'fat tube'.

The most recent photo shows it like this:

Although shortly afterwards it skewed, and Andy pronounced it 'structurally unsound!' Today it is in two halves, in the bottom of the feeder.

Today:4/10, medium

memory lane: the little naturalist

When growing up, I was fascinated by all kinds of wildlife. I was just as fascinated by insects, spiders, slugs and snails and suchlike as I was with animals and birds. As a little girl, I was utterly fearless when it came to wildlife (although very shy in front of strange people!). I believed all little creatures had the potential of being my friends (and I theirs) if they just had the time to grow accustomed to me.

At the house where I spent the first thirteen years of my life, the garage was sunk into the hill on the side of the road, with a tarmac roof which could be easily sat on, or climbed on, from the garden. (There was, of course, a barrier before the drop on the other side.)

The tarmac would grow warm on sunny days and I would perch or lie on it, and examine the honey bees buzzing around the Cranesbill Geraniums with grew up round the sides. Initially wearing gloves, I would somehow "persuade" the bees to climb onto my fingers. After a while, I grew more confident and took the gloves off, and watched them climb onto my fingertips. No, not once was I stung; though it's not something I would try now - and I suspect my parents would not have been entirely happy with this activity!

It simply did not occur to me that these creatures would hurt such a friendly little girl as I was! Even when wasps chased me across the school playground, I would be proud of the fact that they preferred me to the others - although this sentiment would change rather drastically in the future. My enthusiastic attitude towards the attention of wasps ended one day, when sitting in the school hall, I suddenly felt an intense stinging pain on the back of my neck. A drowsy wasp must have landed there and, as I shifted my head, felt threatened and stung me. We found it flailing on the floor afterwards. I'm afraid an unprovoked wasp sting rather effected my attitude...

Anyway. Enough about wasps! I would go around the garden collecting slugs, snails, or woodlice ('chiggy pigs' as I knew them), giving them leaf matter or roots/wood to eat. I would watch with fascination as pregnant woodlice gave birth to dozens of tiny white miniature selves, turning them upside down (poor things!) to watch the babies moving around in their parent's 'tummies'. The naturalist in me, I suppose! I would hope I didn't poke or prod at them, but I suspect most small children do, and I wasn't any different.

As for spiders...well there were plenty of spiders in my life, the house being what it was - big brown ones in the bath and sinks were regular, and there were plenty of fascinating garden spiders outside, hanging on their webs. Intrigued by what they would do, I would put a tiny piece of grass in the web, and watch them 'tidy' it up and throw it away. I confess I also offered up the occasional woodlouse (!!) to watch the spider wind it up. I found it frustrating that a fly never got caught while I was watching...

At school, a certain group of boys would frequently come up to the girls with cupped hands, saying they were holding a big spider. This would cause some to back off, shrieking, but I and another friend held our ground until they confessed there was no spider. Growing bored of it, I went and found a big, hairy, house spider and walked up to those very same boys with the spider in my cupped hands. Of course, they didn't believe me for an instant. When I opened my hands, it turned out they could run and scream with the best of them!

As I grew up, childhood courage receded and adult fear crept in...I brace myself at the sight of a wasp and try not to hurtle off until it gives up bothering me. (Do I smell nice to wasps, or something?!) I won't handle a spider unless I absolutely have to, although if there's a room full of shrieking adults I will gently pick one up and throw it out the window on their behalf. And daddy long legs (crane flies) are my worst. It's fine if they are just minding their own business, but if they fly towards me, they cause a great deal of frantic hand flapping and leaping about lest they fly in my face (and hair!).

The child that I was would look on in astonishment at all the fuss - and, I suspect, no small amount of superiority...

Today: 4/10, medium

birds, and other things

You'd think I could come up with a more inventive title, couldn't you...

Uploading photos takes a bit longer these days. The computer moans 'how big?' and twiddles its thumbs irritably for a while despite there still being gallons of disc space. Blogger creaks and moans too, but comes through in the end (unlike Facebook, which promptly throws up and kicks you out entirely until resizing has taken place. Was that imagery a bit extreme?) One could, if one was in the mood, resize everything and then upload to blogger, but one is not, I'm afraid to say, in the mood. Anyway, not much happening garden-wise, but the snowdrops are sneaking through and will soon be blooming:


Bird wise we have some regulars - a pair of blue tits, a pair of great tits (they are hilarious), a pair of robins (that's a first - we didn't even have one regular until the last few months, which is probably why the dunnocks have mysteriously vamoosed). Also my friend the blackbird:


There is a female blackbird but she is much shyer. The robin, too, is rather on the shy side, despite its reputation:


We've had occasional visits from a pair of coal tits and, delightfully, a goldcrest has also visited. The smallest British bird, for the benefit of those unfamiliar with it - with, unsurprisingly, a teeny weeny golden crest on its teeny weeny head which merges with its teeny weeny round body.

Enough of the teeny weenies, I think, and back to some rather lovely-hued ivy on the edge of our front steps:


Church this morning - on being an inclusive community. May, at some point, post my own thoughts on the matter. If I get my head in gear. And we all know what an effort that takes. Still, I'll let it brew for a while - you may get your 'cup of tea' eventually.

Today: 5/10, medium

anything they can do...

Currently enjoying Autumnwatch, watching our native red squirrels on Brownsea Island prove they are just as ingenious as the greys with the mini assault course they've been undertaking. Yay for the reds!!

They've added quite a bit more to the challenge since this clip, of course!
Today: 5/10, medium

in the garden

We have so many garden spiders at the moment. Out front, while doing some deadheading, I counted 7 without even moving my head. I'm quite happy to have spiders in the garden, although there are, as you know, times when I accidentally walk into a web, which is not very pleasant. Was saved from this recently when I opened the back door - I paused to see how heavy the rain was - and in that pause noticed the huge face-height web which had formed overnight across the doorway.

So, yes, I was doing some deadheading, and re-staking cosmos. The cosmos have really taken off now, splaying about cheerfully, with my needing to rein them in frequently. A week or so back some stems partially broke off in the wind and rain, so I cut them back and then rescued the best looking flowers to display inside:

They looked so lovely and vibrant.

I had to compost them the day before yesterday; they still looked good but were spilling pollen everywhere, which wasn't so good. The bees are loving the late source of nectar outside however. Our front garden looks very colourful despite it being October - in fact I think it looks particularly good at this time of year. The cosmos in vibrant shades of pink and burgundy, frothy pink and white achillea swaying amid golden rudbeckias, and the deep pink of the sedum in between. The potentilla is having a second flush of flowers. All this on a very small scale of course, but I'm pleased with the effect.

The birds are beginning to be more active in the back garden now, visiting the topped up feeders.

Today: 5/10, high

recent events

I have just walked face on into a cobweb on my way round to the bins at the side of the house. Andy had warned me about this; the diligent spider re-spins its web as soon as it has been destroyed, and the giant masterpiece stretches right across the path. Since I have not walked to the bins from the front way for a while (and if I did, Andy has recently gone round before me, presumably meeting a cobwebby fate) I was not at all prepared and had the strange sensation of walking straight into it. I'm not clear where the spider went - and although I'm not bothered by spiders minding their own business, the idea that it went somewhere on my person is a little disconcerting.

Um, yes, enough about that. My parents returned home yesterday morning. Obviously my entries have not been very regular over this time. However, much has been going on which I would not previously have written about anyway, since I don't feel it would have been appropriate. But now I can share the news! The church has called a new Senior Minister and she has accepted. She and her husband came up this weekend for the final 'preach with a view' and question and answer time with the congregation, and the Special Church Meeting was held on Tuesday, where the vote was taken. I think many of us were nervous beforehand, not really knowing which way it would go, but now it is done and over and confirmed. Obviously this has been going on for the last few months, but as I say I did not feel it appropriate to write about until a decision had been made. So that is fantastic news.

Also on Saturday there was a church building open day, where we could go and look around the building. The result is tremendous. Where there were narrow corridors, cracked walls and difficult access for those less able, there is now an open, light building which flows beautifully throughout. It is now so community friendly and hopefully will be a fantastic resource to help and reach out to those around us.

So this has been a very positive week - even if we have been on tenterhooks at times!

On a personal level, my headaches have been very bad these last couple of days, which I have found a bit discouraging, but I do hope and pray I get some respite from them soon. I have scribbled my ratings on a pad so please feel free to ignore this exercise I am supposed to do for my own benefit:


Sunday 14th: 5/10, horrendously high
Mon 15th: 5/10, high
Tues 16th: 5/10, medium, high later in eve
Wed 17th: 4/10, medium
Thurs 18th: 4/10, medium -low
Fri 19th: 4/10, medium - low
Sat 20th: 4,10, medium
Sun 21st: 4-5/10, medium
Mon 22nd: 4/10, medium progressing to high
Tues 23rd: 4/10, medium - high
Wed 23th: 3-4/10, very high
Thurs 24th: 3-4/10, very high

Brownsea Island

We took a trip to Brownsea Island yesterday as that was what I wanted to do as my birthday outing with Andy...we took a boat from Poole Harbour. Poole Harbour is the second biggest natural harbour in the world...second to Sydney. But where Sydney is deep, Poole is shallow.

'We have to stay between the posts so we don't run aground,' our jovial guide informed us, adding, 'like yesterday.'
There were many comments like this.
'There are still pirates in Poole today. One of them is our boss.'
You get the picture.

I was desperate to see one of our native red squirrels, especially after failing to in Northumberland, and Brownsea Island, apart from the Isle of Wight, is the only remaining place in the South of England where you can find them. Basically the grey squirrels haven't managed to run them out of there because it's an island... Although apparently up North the Pine Marten, traditionally the red squirrel's arch enemy, is now helping them - the non-native grey squirrels are heavier so can't get out to the tips of the finest branches, and thus they are helping to control the grey squirrel population a little...can't remember how I know that. It was probably on Springwatch.

Anyway, we ended up seeing five, which was delightful, none close enough to take a good photo, but still we had a good view through binoculars - delightful. Here are my two 'spot the red squirrel' pictures:



Can you make it out??

They move very fast....

There is a nature reserve on Brownsea Island, which includes a lagoon with lots of birds...I wrote them down but can't find the piece of paper right now so will have to list from memory...kingfisher, avocet (dozens), black tailed godwits, bar tailed godwit, 3 greenshanks, redshanks, oystercatchers, cormorants, shoveler ducks, common sandpiper, grey plover, teal, moorhen, little egret, black headed gull, greater black backed gull, terns.

A lovely day, although I was exhausted last night (& dopey today). Yesterday was actually sunny in places, which is frankly astonishing at the moment. It was very well timed.

Wednesday: 5/10, medium low

Today: 4/10, medium

munch, munch, munch

I have just been to a BBQ at some friends from our housegroup. They have donkeys in the field behind their back garden and Frans was feeding them apples through the wire...getting a good view of their teeth and gums (and getting covered in donkey dribble!!) They were rather beautiful in their expressions - and looked like they were wearing eye liner! I don't have very good pics, but here's one:

And here's a picture of our friends' cat, simply because he's such a fine looking fellow!

Today: 4/10, medium high