Daisies! (two) - Spring!

There's a female pigeon hiding behind our plant pots and a very overexcited male pigeon. I'd rather see a foal!

Going to London tomorrow for the w/e. It's supposed to be about 18 down there on Sunday. I can't believe it.

More info. on the baby mule. Mr. Donkey and Mrs. Mare have been together for the past 8 years, so it was thought Mrs. Mare was infertile and then, Wednesday evening, along came baby Mule. (As you might gather, just been chatting to the farmer!)

Nice Butty I've seen a hoopoe two days running now. But the Tawny Owl that should have flown north is still hooting right behind my head at night. I'll miss him when he goes.

So, Bags thinks, if horses had menopauses, it'd be her menopausal baby. Bags does think odd things sometimes.

Pair of starlings frantically gathering,
Zipping strands of grass
Up to their nest in a roof valley gap.
Teamwork.
Pair of sparrows thus:
Female collecting, collecting,
This bit, that bit,
Can I carry another
To the nest under the eaves?
(They are squatters, these sparrows,
Occupying a house martin's nest).
Male picking up one piece,
Checking it,
Nah.
Another piece,
Check it,
Nah.
This one? That one?
Just can't seem to find a good one.
Female zips up and down
With several loads meanwhile.

Lovely Bags. I can 'see' them

Thanks, bags, I enjoyed that.
Bright sunshine here in Switzerland and 20C is forecast, so I am off for a very long walk.
Juragran feeds the birds all Winter and it is lovely to watch them through the window - she even gets a woodpecker sometimes.

There are Greater Spotted Woodpeckers here. I hear them nearly every day drilling into trees up the hill. Saw a pair the other day so am guessing there will be younguns again later this year.

Beach and seaweed
Friends that natter
Rockpools disturbed
By kids' pitter-patter
Of hands and toes and happy finds
While ripples chase
In angled lines.

Love that butty I wish I could do the same and tell you all about my weekend, but I cant!

I have been up to the house this weekend the first time since November, and couldnt have picked a better weekend, it was sunny, warm at times and like heaven on earth.

I have spent the weekend listening to a pair of curlew who have called to each other all weekend. Four buzzards have given me the most fantastic air display right above the house calling and calling, on the surrounding fields the newly born lambs scamper around... nothing could have topped my weekend.

Wonderful glass. That's says it all.

butty and glass

In spite of there being plenty of snow still around, I know Spring has arrived because I saw lots of white and purple wild crocus on my walk yesterday.

How lovely, the wild flowers should be at their best in three weeks' time, I hope!

I hope so too - the forecast is good!

So I won't need my thermals?

I live in the very South and temperatures here haven't risen over 11C. Lots of promises from the weather people but no results here yet!!

Tee shirt and trainers for my walk here in Switzerland today - it was such a relief to get out of my knee high fur-lined boots! Lots of catkins and that lovely subtle green glow that tells you the branches are about to burst into leaf.

Frogspawn at long last in our pond! For the last couple of years we've had lots of taddies which have never gone on to develop properly despite our best efforts, hope for froglets this year

I have tadpoles!

Ah Galen but you're not in the cold NE are you! I heard Mr Frog croaking on Saturday, on Sunday Mrs Frog had answered his call and today there is frogspawn with Mr Frog standing guard!

Galen Hurrah!

Our frogspawn seems to appear by magic. The pond used to be a mass of cavorting froggies but now we only occasionally see one.
We do have newts so all is not lost.

It's definitely warmer here but blowing a gale.

Having used my binoculars to look at the bottom of the garden (it's not that big, but I can't get down the steps to get in it on my own) I could see that I have a couple of fritillaries out!