Summer 2013

Appreciated Bags. Not just for your poem as always but because I too have been pondering on the fact that I've shed 4 layers of clothes in 48 hours and will still be wearing bedsocks tonight.

That gave me a to start this sunny morning, B.
The meteo tells me this afternoon will reach 27C - "Blimey", I say to Mr. B. - it must be Summer!!

Went out this morning, sweater and coat, temp: 10C. Lunch time sweltering as it reached 20C. Back home this evening, put extra socks back on, under 10C again, howling gale and rain. Welcome to summer 2013!

Chiffchaff (seen two days ago; heard and seen today) and cuckoo (heard yesterday.

I think it's still spring/winter!

And I think it's spring/summer

It's as much about light up here as anything else.

I started planting my vegetable seeds in pots this afternoon. The potting compost, taken from an outside container was noticeably cold. So, despite the sun, there has still not been enough warmth to warm the soil.

The chiffchaff or willow warbler
Flitting about in willow and birch
Made itself known today
As chiffchaff, calling
"Chiff chaff" as we shot arrows
In the garden.
Target archery to a chorus
Of "chiff chaff", the witterings
Of long-tailed tits, and the wild call
Of a buzzard is smile-worthy!
And then, in the background,
Somewhere unseen, "cuckoo, cuckoo!"
And a woodpecker's knock
Answering the arrow thuds.

A song of garden and sky. Lovely.

Gentle white cherry blossom
Branched through early morning mist
Light and shadow
Penetrating paper screens.

butty

Listening to blackbirds singing . They should have been the song thrushes – much better singers than Turdus philomelos.

Too noisy at 5.24 this morning! Woke me up!

Noisy bird sitting in tree
Means an early start for me
Pillow over ears I tried
But still that silly bird cried
' wake up, wake up you silly hen
In bed you're no good to men
Get up and greet the lovely day
No more in bed, should you stay'
So I arose, and with a frown
Went to work in Bristol town

I love waking up to bird song. Makes me feel in tune with my surroundings.

My spirits have been lifted by the sound of cuckoos this week. I don't know why we love them so much, there are prettier bird songs. At a garden centre I visited the other day, the indoor part contained a robin singing it's little heart out - beautiful!

I too love the sound of the cuckoo. While on holiday in the Hebrides we heard and saw a cuckoo. I had bought my DH a cuckoo caller for Christmas. Thought I would try it out. We were wandering along this remote path by a loch - DH was a way ahead of me with his camera so I said I would walk back to the car and wait. I was cuckooing away - being answered by a real cuckoo - I came to a bend in the track and stood by a bush 'calling' I then heard a man say to his wife (the other side of the bush) "It's very near, lets stand here for a while and see if it shows itself" Needless to say I promptly put my cuckoo caller in my pocket and walked around the bend to be asked "Have you seen it, it's very very near" Oops!!! Luckily I was able to point out another further away sitting on a large pine top.

Can't wait to go out listening for the Nightingale soon. Should be back in UK before long if not now. Amazing song. Really lifts the spirit as does the Blackcap, Garden Warbler and Song Thrush.

Gorse flowers and catkins,
With bees among them,
Young rowan leaves and sycamore buds,
Honeysuckle bursting green
Where two days ago 
Its colour blended with dead stalks
And a roe deer's olding winter coat.
And everywhere above the moss
And pignut leaves in lawns
Young grass shoots up
As the spring damps and warms.

. It's getting busy in your garden, B.

Two greattits fighting on the feeder followed by a blackcap robin and bluetit. Then a dunnock.
On the way to work yesterday I saw pheasants and a deer. Today a hare!

You people who see hares are so lucky!

I love hares, when snow was on the ground we went for a drive and looked over snow covered fields, we counted 49 hare in one field and around the corner were another 19. Amazing! such beautiful creatures, my DH has many gorgeous photos of them