As I sat on our garden bench reading yesterday I kept an eye on the birds flitting around in the garden. I saw a robin, darting among the blackberries and eating bugs...
...and several noisy (as usual) starlings...
...and a vigilant blackbird.
I spent the morning putting some plants in the ground -- the borage seedlings I transplanted from the pot that holds our passionflower vine, and a Shasta daisy that I got on sale for £2.69 at Waitrose. Digging those holes was not fun. Our ground is pretty dry and hard as a rock right now. I was out there grumbling and cursing and probably entertaining the neighbors.
And that's all I've got for today. I'm going to meet my boss this afternoon for a little picnic in the park, so I'll get some more walking in. Our heat dissipated as quickly as it came and today's high is supposed to be 73ยบ F -- not too shabby!
22 degrees....perfect.
ReplyDeleteShasta daisies are underrated but not so good you having to break up concrete to plant.
There are two different forms of bird watching. I prefer yours.
MRS KRAVITZ (On phone) Can you hear him Deidre? God knows what he's doing. He might be planting stuff again. Can you hear him cursing? It's disgusting (Pause) Yes. I can see him now through the gap in the fence. Oh lord! Another of those retro T-shirts and his legs..like spindles on a staircase. Yes he's planting. Wonder why he hasn't thought to soften the ground by watering it beforehand? About as much common sense as a dead squirrel...
ReplyDeleteNice you're getting some relief from the heat and humidity. You've created a city paradise in your garden.
ReplyDeleteYesterday I ran into friends who had just gone to the library used book store and bought The Overstory. They asked if I had read it and I said no but I had a recommendation from a friend in London. So now it is on my (very long) list to be read.
ReplyDeleteCheers
Your robin looks like our bluebird, and your blackbird looks like our robin. I love watching the birds in my yard. I'm glad you got a reprieve in the hot temps. Enjoy your picnic meeting. Have a great day, hugs, Edna B.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could have 73 F here .It's been very hot.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely nothing to do with birds (or does it?)... apropos of your tenth wedding anniversary, I was wondering how you and Dave met.
ReplyDeleteProbably you blogged about that here, way back--
do you have a link to that post, or is it anything you'd care to recap in a post now?
And while I'm at it, I also wonder how Olga came to you.
Rescue dog? Gift? Breeder? Stray?
She's a lovely dog---did you go looking for a dog like her, or did she choose you?
Purely optional questions, of course! ... more suitable for posts, probably, than comment replies.
I love all the birds. There is something quite soothing to have birds around. Glad you are having a wonderful summer day. I can't wait for our temps to get back down to the 70's again. Actually, even the 90's would be nice right now.
ReplyDeleteHow delicious that cooler air must feel!
ReplyDeleteit's impossible to sit outside around here. between the heat, humidity, and now mosquitos from the recent rain you'd be a puddle of sweat sucked dry of blood.
ReplyDeleteit still amuses me that your robins are completely different birds than out robins. not that I ever see any out here. but I saw them every day when I lived in the city.
The first one is so beautifully framed!
ReplyDeleteNice to see the birds there, especially that robin!
ReplyDeleteGlad the weather cooled down there. Still bleak gray foggy here. Would love a day with temps in the 70s. Enjoy!
You really are a very gifted photographer of nature.
ReplyDeleteI know about that cursing the hard ground and frightening the neighbors. All too well.
ReplyDeleteFor us to dig holes requires soaking the ground with a LOT of water for a couple of days, repeated applications of water. Then and only then can we dig, and maybe it will require more water later.
ReplyDeleteThe Vote Abroad organization is sounding the claxons about voting sooner rather than later. The Post Office situation continues to worsen.
We get blackbirds and robins but in have never had starlings in the garden. The place I see them is Sainsbury's carpark!
ReplyDeleteAndrew: A sort of "passive" version, you mean, as opposed to going out and making lists and that sort of thing? Yeah, I'm not that kind of bird-watcher.
ReplyDeleteYP: I'm sure that's what she'd say, more or less, although I think even with my cursing I put on less of a spectacle than she does when she gets annoyed. She's a screamer!
Mitchell: Yeah, and it happened so suddenly! An oven one day, and back to normal the next.
Peter: Excellent! You will love it!
Edna: Apparently American robins are actually a kind of thrush. Who knew?
Red: I'll try to send some cooler temps your way!
Fresca: Dave and I met online, on a Web site called Chemistry.com (sort of similar to Match.com). This was in April 2009. I don't think I blogged about it right away, but within a few weeks he began popping up in my posts. We got civil-unioned (because there was no same-sex marriage yet in our state) the following July, and then married in 2015. We adopted Olga from a dog-rescue organization in January 2013. Post here: https://shadowsteve.blogspot.com/2013/01/mona-we-think.html
Sharon: Yeah, we keep the feeders well stocked so they keep coming around!
Ms Moon: It IS a welcome relief. I'd send some to you if I could!
Ellen: I do not miss mosquitoes at all. One of the few creatures about which I can say absolutely nothing good!
Jiryu: Hey! Glad to see/hear from you! Thanks re. the framing -- I was trying to show the blackberries as well as the bird. :)
Robin: I think I would struggle a bit with all the fog in your part of the world. (And London is supposed to be the foggy city!)
37P: Thank you! It's all the camera. (Which I badly need to get cleaned.)
Catalyst: I was simultaneously cursing and hacking away at the ground and then laughing at myself for putting on such a show.
Allison: Yeah, I should have soaked the ground first. I have to wait for my ballot to get here before I vote. The good news is, my primary ballot got back in plenty of time. So as soon as I respond quickly I think I should be OK.
Sarah: Ha! We get a lot of them. They love our feeder with the suet balls, and they love splashing around in the bird bath!